LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — An arrest report obtained by FOX5 is shedding new light on the tension and altercations that led up to deadly shooting involving city employees Friday morning.
Brysen Kim, 26, was arrested Friday morning around 6:04 a.m. on charges of open murder with a deadly weapon. The victim has been identified by the city as Joey McLean, who died from his injuries at the UMC around 6:28 a.m.
Multiple 911 calls reported the shooting at approximately 6 a.m. at the City of Las Vegas Building Maintenance Services facility. According to the report, Kim was observed in the parking lot and taken into custody by officers.
MORE ON FOX5: Mayor identifies Las Vegas city employee killed in downtown shooting
Witness accounts
A city maintenance supervisor was interviewed by detectives about the incident, and recalled that he walked into the office to clock in when Kim arrived and began arguing with McLean.
The supervisor said he observed Kim punch McLean once in the side of the head while he was facing the other direction. McLean then fell to the ground and did not move, appearing to be knocked out.
Other employees moved to grab Kim when he began to kick McLean in the head, and moved to push him out the door. The supervisor told officers that Kim had pulled out a gun as he was being pushed, reached around both supervisors and fired two shots at McLean.
The supervisor told detectives he walked into the office to clock in when Kim arrived and said something to McLean about “you want to start with this (expletive)” and punched McLean once in the side of the head. He said McLean appeared to be facing away from Kim when the punch occurred, and McLean fell to the floor and did not move.
Kim then kicked McLean twice in the head area, according to the report. Him and another supervisor grabbed Kim and tried to push him out the door. Kim had a gun in his right hand and reached around both supervisors and fired two shots at McLean, the report said.
The first supervisor told Kim to put the gun down. Kim pulled the magazine from the gun, cleared the chamber and left the gun and magazine on a table, according to the report.
Evidence recovered
McLean was found lying face down in the locker room area with a large pool of blood under his head. Two cartridge casings were located beside the body, the report said.
A Glock 48 9mm handgun and magazine were located on a table in the entry room. The magazine was loaded with 9mm ammunition. One cartridge was located on a chair beside the table.
Workplace conflict
One of the city supervisors told detectives the issues between McLean and Kim had been brewing for approximately six months, all of which involved human resources. He estimated they had been to HR approximately five to six times for incidents.
The supervisor said McLean was accused on two separate occasions of unlocking Kim’s tailgate to his work truck, resulting in the tailgate falling or swinging into Kim. McLean also sent text messages to Kim after hours, accusing him of taking steroids, according to the report.
He said HR initiated an investigation, but McLean made more allegations about Kim being in a gang and his tattoos were gang related. The supervisor said McLean was looking for a reaction from Kim and documented each incident to HR.
Suspect interview
Kim initially invoked his right to an attorney when detectives attempted to interview him. He later requested to speak with detectives again.
Kim told detectives his issues with McLean stemmed from an incident in late January when a tailgate disconnected and fell off the back of a dump truck McLean was operating, almost hitting Kim. Kim said this was the third known incident where this had occurred while McLean was operating trucks.
Kim said he made numerous complaints since January through HR and OSHA to document the incidents. He claimed to have attempted to avoid McLean and go through his chain of command and HR but that nothing was done to resolve the situation.
Kim told detectives that on June 8, McLean rolled his window down and was threatening him while they were stopped in traffic. Kim said he heard McLean say “I’m going to kill you” while pointing his hand at Kim mimicking a gun.
Kim did not want to speak about the shooting and only wanted to clarify what had led up to it. He denied a physical altercation occurred before the shooting but stated that he feared for his life.
Kim was transported to the Clark County Detention Center and booked on the murder charge. A criminal complaint was filed June 14 in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
