Right Place, Right Time: Las Vegas Security Guard Shoots, Kills Gunman

An armed security guard was in the right place at the right time when a disgruntled customer returned to a North Las Vegas convenience store early Monday morning to settle the score.

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While the North Las Vegas Police Department continues to investigate the incident, the family of 19-year-old Geraldo Moncayo is speaking out, claiming the young man had been assaulted by a store employee late Sunday night.

“He had an argument last night with the clerks from 7-Eleven, and they got in a fight. One of the guys from 7- Eleven knocked his teeth out and really beat him. He had to go to the hospital,” said Fabiola Grajeda, Moncayo’s cousin.

Instead of contacting authorities, Grajeda says her cousin tried to take matters into their own hands, heading back to the 7-11 on Lake Mead and Pecos shortly before 5 am the next morning.

“He came back with one of his friends, and they say he started shooting up to the ceiling,” she said.

One thing Moncayo wasn’t expecting was an armed security guard, who was on duty when he decided to exact his revenge on store employees. When Moncayo began firing his gun in the store, the security guard quickly eliminated the threat to store employees and patrons. The security guard shot and killed Moncayo in the store before anyone was harmed by his actions.

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“We’re just lucky at this time nobody else was struck with the gunfire inside that store,” said North Las Vegas Police Department Officer Ann Cavaricci.

Investigators have not confirmed if a fight did take place in the store Sunday night, but Moncayo’s family admits the young man’s actions were an inappropriate response to the alleged incident.

“I know he did something wrong. I know that wasn’t the way he was supposed to deal with it,” she noted.

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