Alleged supermarket shooter suspected of raping escort service employee
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wire:
June 06, 1999
Alleged supermarket shooter suspected of raping escort service employee
By Robert Macy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A man accused of shooting four people to death in a
supermarket is suspected of raping an escort service
employee just before the killing spree, allegedly telling
the victim he had 19 bullets and was going to kill the next 19 people he
saw.
Zane Michael Floyd, 23, is accused of barging into an
Albertsons grocery store two miles east of the Strip
and opening fire on workers at dawn Thursday, killing
four employees and wounding one.
Late Friday night, a woman filed a sexual assault
report, saying she had been raped just prior to the
shooting, Las Vegas Metro Police spokesman Lt.
Rick Alba said Sunday.
An employee at Love Bound, an outcall escort service,
told The Associated Press on Sunday that a man
named Zane had called for the services of a young
woman, age 18 to 21, at his home on West Oakey.
The service dispatched a 20-year-old woman to the
address about 3:30 a.m. Thursday, said the employee,
who spoke on condition of anonymity. The young
woman was not identified.
The employee said the young woman arrived at the
residence and "as soon as she walked in the door he
grabbed her, handcuffed and taped her, then raped
and sodomized her."
"He said he was here to kill, he was trained to kill, that
he had 19 bullets and was going to kill the next 19
people he saw," the Love Bound employee recounted.
The employee said the man threatened to kill the
young woman, fired five shots from a pump-action
shotgun, then released her and told her to walk west
on Oakey; he headed east, toward the store.
She walked several blocks until she found a pay
telephone and called the escort service, which filed a
company report of the incident that was taken as
evidence by police, the employee said.
The 20-year-old woman is from Portland, Ore., and
started work on Jan. 3 at Love Bound, one of scores of
escort services operating in Las Vegas. The
employee said the man identified as Zane was to have
paid $150 for the young woman's services but
attacked her without paying.
"She's devastated by this," the employee said.
Police have received dozens of tips since Floyd
allegedly barged into the store with the shotgun at 5:16
a.m. Thursday, including one from the Love Bound
employee, said Alba, the police spokesman.
"We attempted to contact the victim but she chose not
to involve herself until late Friday night" when she filed
the rape complaint, Alba said.
Floyd, who had been working as a security guard and
a bouncer at a local club, is being held without bond on
four counts of murder and one count of attempted
murder. The former Marine from Camp Pendleton,
Calif., is scheduled to be arraigned Monday morning.
As of Sunday, Floyd had not been charged on the
sexual assault complaint, Alba said.
Police continue to search for a motive as friends and
employees struggle to recover. Albertsons offered
counseling for its employees before reopening at 5:30
p.m. Friday.
Metro homicide Sgt. Kevin Manning said he believes
that after the five employees were gunned down and
others fled or hid, the killer apparently ran out of
victims.
There were 25 people inside at the time, including 14
employees.
When police arrived, Floyd first tried to flee, then put
the gun to his head before finally surrendering.
Manning said one victim was found just inside the
entrance, two were in the center of the store, one was
in a produce area and a fifth was in a grocery
preparation area.
Investigators believe the victims were shot at random.
Most were taken by surprise and shot at close range,
Manning said. One victim was chased, he said.
The four dead employees were identified as Thomas
Darnell, 40; Chuck Leos, 41; Dennis Troy Sergent, 29;
and Luci Tarantino, 60, all of Las Vegas.
The fifth victim, Zachary Emenegger, 21, of Las Vegas
was upgraded to fair condition Sunday at University
Medical Center.
--------------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 6/7/99 online edition of The Las
Vegas
Review Journal newspaper:
Monday, June 07, 1999
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Services under way for store shooting victims
As the suspected gunman goes to court this morning, services for
four
grocery store employees shot in a Las Vegas supermarket Thursday morning
have
begun.
On Saturday, Bunkers Mortuary held a viewing for Dennis Sargent,
31.
Sargent's remains are to be transported to Renton, Wash., where
services will
be scheduled.
Services for Thomas Darnell, 40, are scheduled for 10 a.m. today
at
Griffith United Methodist Church, 1701 E. Oakey Blvd. They will be
handled by
Davis Funeral Homes. Darnell is to be buried in Trinidad, Colo.
Services for Carlos "Chuck" Leos, 41, will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday
at Palm
Mortuary at Eastern Avenue and Warm Springs Road.
The family of Lucille Tarantino, 60, a Milwaukee native, said
services
for her will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Anne's Catholic Church at St.
Louis
Boulevard and Maryland Parkway.
A fifth store employee who was shot, Zachary Emenegger, 21, was
listed in
fair condition Sunday at University Medical Center.
The four died Thursday after a gunman charged into Albertson's
supermarket where they worked around 5:15 a.m. Police said the gunman
hunted
down his victims with a shotgun. Zane Michael Floyd, 23, surrendered
shortly
after police arrived.
Las Vegas residents have erected a makeshift memorial with flowers
and
mementos in front of the store at 3861 W. Sahara Ave.
Police also are investigating allegations Floyd raped a woman he
called
to his home on West Oakey Boulevard from an escort service Wednesday
night.
As of late Sunday night, charges on Floyd's booking sheet at the
Clark
County Detention Center did not list sexual assault; he is charged with
four
counts of homicide and one count of attempted homicide.
Floyd is scheduled to appear in Clark County District Court at
7:30 this
morning.
--------------------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 6/6/99 online edition of The Las
Vegas
Review Journal newspaper:
Sunday, June 06, 1999
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Slaying suspect accused of rape
A woman with an outcall dating service tells police a man charged with
killing
four people attacked her.
By Glenn Puit
Review-Journal
The man charged with slaying four people Thursday at a Las Vegas
grocery
store is also suspected of raping a woman in his home just hours before
the
killings, police officials said Saturday.
If the sex assault allegations against Zane Michael Floyd, 23,
prove
true, it presents the image of a nightlong crime spree aimed at
terrorizing
others.
Police have already said they believe the gunman who stormed the
Albertson's at 3861 W. Sahara Ave. wanted to see what it felt like to
kill.
They confirmed Saturday that homicide detectives are investigating
sex
assault allegations made by a woman who works for the Las Vegas-based
Love
Bound outcall dating service. The woman told friends and later police
that she
was called to Floyd's home on West Oakey Boulevard late Wednesday or
early
Thursday by a man named "Zane," held at gunpoint, then raped and
sodomized.
The woman was first interviewed by police late Friday night.
"Homicide (detectives) are handling the investigation, and I don't
know
all the specifics," said Las Vegas police Lt. Tom Monahan, who
supervises the
police Sex Assault Detail. "It involves the assault of a female, and it
fits
into the same time frame (as the shootings)."
Homicide Sgt. Kevin Manning, a supervisor on the case, could not
be
reached for comment Saturday. A woman who answered the phone at Love
Bound said
she was familiar with the matter and that police were investigating, but
she
declined further comment.
KLAS-TV, Channel 8 reported that following the incident, Floyd
told the
woman of a desire to kill people. Floyd also told the girl he had 19
bullets
and that he was going to kill the first 19 people he saw, said Channel
8, which
based its report primarily on an interview with a Love Bound employee.
Just a few hours after the sex assault was alleged to have taken
place, a
man walked into the Albertson's at 5:16 a.m. carrying a shotgun and shot
five
store employees at point-blank range. The store at Valley View Boulevard
is a
few blocks from Floyd's home.
Four of the victims -- Thomas Darnell, 40, Dennis Sargent, 31, and
Lucille Tarantino, 60, all of Las Vegas, and Carlos "Chuck" Leos, 41, of
Henderson -- died at the scene. A fifth victim, Zachary Emenegger, 21,
of Las
Vegas, was upgraded from serious to fair condition Saturday at
University
Medical Center, a nursing supervisor said.
Police Lt. Rick Alba said police did not mention the sex assault
allegations the day of the shooting because they had only received
second- and
third-hand reports of the attack. The woman was not willing to talk to
police
at the time, he said.
"We had to establish credibility," Alba said. "Homicide did
everything
they could at the time to get this young woman to come forward, but it's
my
understanding that at first she didn't want to get involved. She didn't
go to
the hospital and officially report it until the middle of the night
(Friday)."
Manning said Friday that police have not uncovered any ties
between Floyd
and any of the victims or the Albertson's store. He said given the
nature of
the shooting and the manner in which many of the victims were trapped
inside
the store, "we are very, very fortunate we didn't have more victims."
Floyd is being housed at the Clark County Detention Center,
charged with
four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. A detention
center
spokeswoman said there was no listing of any sex assault charges being
filed
against the suspect as of Saturday evening.
The life of the Marine Corps veteran was in a tailspin at the time
of his
arrest. He had been fired from his last job, had recently dropped out of
college and moved into a bungalow to the rear of his parents' home on
West
Oakey, police said.
Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Bill Koot said a
search
warrant that permitted the search of the Floyds' home and bungalow
Thursday
morning sought "mostly paperwork to establish his state of mind."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The following two news articles both appear courtesy of the 6/5/99
online
edition of The Las Vegas Review Journal newspaper:
Saturday, June 05, 1999
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Spree may have been thrill kill
The families of victims killed in a shooting rampage call for justice,
and
grieving employees go back to work.
By Glenn Puit and Tanya Flanagan
Review-Journal
The man arrested in a pre-dawn shooting spree that took the lives
of four
grocery store workers may have been motivated by a desire to see what it
feels
like to kill, police sources said Friday.
Several Las Vegas law enforcement officials said they believe
23-year-old
Zane Floyd went to an Albertson's armed with a shotgun primarily because
he
yearned to get close to death. The sources said that theory is based on
circumstantial evidence.
The sources would not elaborate on the specifics of the evidence
or how
it was recovered, and they cautioned that detectives still have days of
work in
front of them. They said, so far, the theory is the only plausible
explanation
for the crime.
Police Sgt. Kevin Manning, a supervisor on the case, said
detectives have
found no connection between the Marine Corps veteran, the Albertson's or
any of
the five victims of Thursday's rampage. Robbery has been ruled out as a
motive.
"I think in situations like these, people feel like they can sleep
better
when they have a definitive explanation as to why," Manning said. "So
far,
there is no definitive explanation."
The gunman stormed into the store at 3861 W. Sahara Ave. near
Valley View
Boulevard at 5:16 a.m. The man -- with a shaved head and goatee and
wearing
camouflage -- carried a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun, his pockets filled
with
ammunition. He chased his victims through the aisles and shot them
numerous
times at point-blank range. Police persuaded him to surrender outside
the store
after an eight-minute standoff during which he pointed the shotgun at
his head.
The Clark County coroner's office identified the dead as Thomas
Darnell,
40, Dennis Sargent, 31, and Lucille Tarantino, 60, all of Las Vegas, and
Carlos
"Chuck" Leos, 41, of Henderson. The sole surviving shooting victim,
Zachary
Emenegger, 21, of Las Vegas, is at University Medical Center in serious
condition with multiple gunshot wounds.
Floyd is at the Clark County Detention Center awaiting a Monday
court
hearing. He is charged with four counts of murder and one count of
attempted
murder.
Leos' mother-in-law, Sylvia Kellogg, said Friday the person
responsible
for the slayings has earned the death penalty.
"He didn't kill four people, he killed about 50," Kellogg said.
"He
killed all the friends and family and the children of the four victims,
too,
because we all have to deal with the loss. If he gets off on some kind
of
insanity plea, so help me, God, there is going to be hell to pay. He is
not fit
to walk our streets. He is not fit to live."
Kellogg said Leos celebrated his first wedding anniversary with
her
daughter just last weekend. In addition to working the graveyard shift
at
Albertson's, Leos worked at a Las Vegas video store to provide for his
wife.
"My son-in-law worked two jobs so he could buy my daughter a
beautiful
new home in Green Valley, and now she is going to lose everything,"
Kellogg
said. "We never even got a chance to say goodbye."
Darnell's sister, Kim Maguire, said Friday she couldn't help but
think
her brother would be alive had he gone to work late on Thursday. But
Darnell
had a thing for punctuality.
His family was struggling to cope with their loss at their El
Conlon
Avenue home a block south of the Albertson's.
"I was doing fine until we had to pick out the coffin," Maguire
said. "I
keep thinking he is going to come home. I keep saying he is just lost
and any
minute he is going to walk through that door."
Darnell used to rise early every day and prepare coffee for his
mother,
Maguire said. He was a little "mentally slow," she said, but very
helpful and
loving toward friends and family.
"We can't understand why this jerk would go in there and start
shooting.
His family is not responsible. They must be going through their own
pain," she
said.
Floyd's parents issued a brief statement through a friend Friday,
The
Associated Press said.
"We are obviously shaken, and our thoughts are with the victims'
families," Valerie and Michael Floyd said.
Maguire described her brother as "a one-of-a-kind type person who
everybody loved and liked, all his nieces and nephews loved him, too."
Thursday night she told her 10-year-old son, Donovan, that his
uncle was
dead. "I asked if he remembered our talks about heaven and then said,
`You will
hear things in the news. Your uncle is dead,' and all he could do was
sit there
and cry."
Darnell, who recently celebrated his second year at the store,
lived at
home with his parents and liked to collect sports cards, postcards and
stamps.
He often helped neighbors with their yardwork and home repairs.
Maguire said she doesn't want her brother's killer to be executed.
"The
death penalty is too easy for this guy," she said. "I would rather he
sit in
solitary for the rest of his life and remember what he did to these
families."
A member of Sargent's family could not be reached Friday at her
home in
Seattle. Tarantino's relatives declined a request for an interview.
At 9 a.m. Friday, about 120 Albertson's workers packed into a
union hall
on North Decatur Boulevard to cry and console one another during a
counseling
session.
"There was a lot of shock, a lot of anger, a lot of sadness," said
Trauma
Intervention Program supervisor Marian Thomas. "It was a great thing to
see in
there, all those people being so supportive, telling one another they
would be
there for each other."
Also Friday morning, about 30 Albertson's workers walked through
the
closed store, flanked by counselors who offered emotional support.
"I think they felt they just wanted to be able to go back in there
and
know they could feel OK," said Roberta West of United Food & Commercial
Workers
Local 711.
One of the first to re-enter the store was James Brown, 40. Brown,
a
close friend of all the victims, said he frequently worked the same
shift as
the victims and he has struggled with the fact that he could have been
killed.
"If you were to lose a loved one, a father, a mother, a daughter,
a son,
that is what it feels like," Brown said. "It hurts, really hurts."
The store reopened just after 5 p.m. Friday after employees and
managers
decided that returning to a state of normalcy would be best for the
healing
process, said Greg McNiff, Albertson's district manager.
"They are rallying together," McNiff said. "We're concerned about
the
healing process," he said, noting that workers from sister stores were
filling
in for any of the 106 employees who did not want to come back to work
immediately.
Brown echoed the sentiments of his co-workers.
"We are ready to go back to work," he said. "We all feel this is
the
right thing. I worry how the public is going to view it."
Workers and loved ones crafted a makeshift memorial in front of
the store
of about three dozen flower arrangements, votive candles, crosses, and
cards
expressing sorrow.
"In God's love may you find comfort, hope and peace," read one of
the
cards. "You are in our thoughts and prayers. May Jesus take you home
now," read
another.
By all accounts Floyd arrived in Las Vegas in 1988. After
attending a
series of public and private schools, he enlisted in the Marines in
1994. He
completed his service in July 1998, returning to Las Vegas.
He moved into his parents' guest house at 4101 W. Oakey Blvd. in
the
ensuing months, taking and then losing a $7-an-hour job with a security
firm on
Tropicana Avenue. He has no significant prior criminal record.
Police have numerous interviews to conduct in the case, Lt. Rick
Alba
said. They have been consulting regularly with the district attorney's
office
for guidance on the investigation.
On Thursday morning, detectives were seen leaving the Floyds' home
with
several bags of evidence. Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney
Bill Koot
said the warrant that permitted the search sought "mostly paperwork to
establish (Floyd's) state of mind." He did not elaborate.
Koot and District Attorney Stewart Bell will prosecute the case
against
Floyd. Bell said no decision will be made on whether to seek the death
penalty
until a team of prosecutors has reviewed the relevant facts of the
slayings.
"With that being said, there is a high value placed on any human
life,"
Bell said. "The more people that die in a given situation, the more
likely the
highest possible consequence will be sought.
"My thoughts when I heard of all this were basically, `What is
this world
coming to,' " Bell continued. "We are all human beings here, and we all
owe our
fellow human beings some certain liberties, courtesies and respect. What
is
getting into the minds of a very small minority of our population that
would
cause them to so badly breach that duty, I really don't know."
Review-Journal writer Keith Rogers contributed to this report.