LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A Las Vegas man is facing multiple felony charges after reportedly shooting a young girl through an apartment complex wall, severing her spinal cord.
Arreion Willoughby was arrested on November 20 on multiple counts of child abuse or neglect and a pair of weapons charges. According to court documents, Las Vegas police responded to a call on the 1200 block of S. Torrey Pines Dr. on the afternoon of November 20.
The first officer on the scene found a mother yelling for assistance for her daughter. An LVMPD officer found a girl in an apartment bathroom, on her side in a “fetal-like” position, lying unconscious in a pool of blood.
An ambulance arrived and transported the victim to UMC Trauma. An initial report noted that it was believed that the child fell off the toilet and hit her head.
During a subsequent investigation, patrol officers found a bullet hole in the bathroom wall. Officers determined that the bullet came from an adjoining apartment to the south, which they breached and investigated. Police found another bullet hole in a bedroom wall there.
A UMC doctor later reported that the bullet traveled through the child’s back, severed her spinal cord and lodged in her neck. The bleeding caused “life-threatening pressure to build against the base of her brainstem,” according to a police report. At the time of the report, it was unknown if the victim would survive.
Investigators obtained surveillance video that showed the suspect “standing in front of the bed, appearing to hold something, and pointing it.”
“Next is a loud bang and his body visibly flinches and he steps back and away,” the police report noted. Children in nearby bedrooms peeked out to investigate the loud noise.
A records check revealed that Willoughby was previously convicted for multiple counts of robbery and a firearms charge. Police conducted an interview with the suspect at LVMPD Headquarters.
Investigators told Willoughby that a bullet hole was found in his apartment closet. Police then asked him what happened.
“Nothing happened,” he said. “I don’t even own a firearm.” According to a police report, Willoughby continued the interview by stating, “If y’all don’t believe at this point, then I would like my lawyer.”
He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 11 in Clark County Justice Court.
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