Notarized affidavit tells of aftermath
of purported Crazy Horse shooting,
but no police report was filed

INSIDE VEGAS by Steve Miller
AmericanMafia.com
February 13, 2006
 
LAS VEGAS - This is a story I really don't want to tell. In fact, I'd planned to take the week off -- until I received a fax.

A man who claimed to have been passing by the Las Vegas Crazy Horse Too on Sunday morning, January 29, faxed me a notarized affidavit just before press time.  The man said he saw extensive police activity in front of the club on the 29th, and asked that his name be withheld from this column. He was the fourth person to contact me since the alleged incident, claiming to have witnessed activities involving a shooting, or claiming to have spoken to someone who did.

The problem is there's no Police Report on file, and that deeply troubles me if what I'm being told is true.
 
To whom it may concern:
 
I swar (sp) its the truth that on Sunday morning at 6:15 AM - 1-29-06, a black male coming out of the Crazy Horse Too strip club was shot. He was drop from the front of Buffalo Jim's place. It was a gang bang shooting. Lot was full of gangsters from California. The lot was full of cars from California. The news truck was left across the street from the scene. There was yellow tap (sp) around the hole (sp) lot. Metro Police would not let no one on the seen (sp). They was rud (sp) and they was trying to act like nothing happened at the club. Being the Crazy Horse strip club, they harass bystanders that was not at the club. I seen the crime seen (sp) write (sp) after the shooting. Too (sp) the best of my knowledge the man was inside the Crazy Horse Too strip club. Living in this neighborhood for sixteen years I have seen a lot of criminal activity from the Crazy Horse Too strip club management and employees, customers ect. (sp).
 
Signed and notarized on January 30, 2006

What makes this affidavit intriguing is that its author is willing to identify himself, at least to me. The three other anonymous sources who contacted me by email have all but disappeared. When I asked them to identify themselves, they refused saying they feared retribution, or in one case said she feared being charged as "an accessory to a crime."

My answer? To withhold valid information is truly being an accessory to a crime!

Then there's the question of why police would want to cover up such an event? Its a known fact there are rogue cops who over the years have protected the Crazy Horse Too. The club is under federal investigation, and criminal indictments are pending. Also, a new Crazy Horse just opened in Philadelphia, and its license may soon be sold to another owner. An untimely shooting incident would surely throw a monkey wrench into these issues.

Most of my source's stories at first looked credible, then upon further questioning, the stories fell apart. One said a man was shot and killed inside the strip club during a gang war. Another said that a Crazy Horse employee shot a patron in the head killing him inside the club. And a third said a Crazy Horse employee shot off a patron's ear.

Even though it was six in the morning when the alleged shooting happened, there must have been at least seventy five patrons present, and so far none have contacted me to tell their story. This is unusual because any Google search of "Crazy Horse Too Las Vegas" will list my INSIDE VEGAS articles on the front page, and my email address is located at the top and bottom of each of my columns. People with stories to tell about the Crazy Horse find it easy to contact me, and often do, especially if they witnessed a shooting! In this case, none have so far, but if the shooting did occur, I hope other credible witnesses surface. Having only one witness willing to identify himself leaves me with serious doubts that there was ever a shooting on that date.

This makes me wonder if I'm being set up as a effort to try lessen my credibility? I've been covering violence at the Vegas Crazy Horse since 1999, and my columns have been the basis for several national news stories.

As a writer my credibility is all important, so its imperative that I have several corroborating witnesses to back up my INSIDE VEGAS columns especially when I allege a possible shooting, murder, or police cover up. With this story, I admit that my evidence is very weak -- so weak in fact that I had planned to issue a retraction to an E-Brief I sent last Monday telling of the purported shooting based on one alleged witness statement sent to me via email, and a telephone interview with another alleged witness. Following my E-Brief, I checked with LVMPD to find if a report was filed. Nothing. I also waited to hear from additional witnesses. One surfaced, but her information contradicted itself.

On Monday, February 6, I plan to make an inquiry at the Clark County Coroner's office.

I also spoke with several police officers I know, and they knew nothing of the incident. One went so far as to say it would have taken dozens of officers, fire department and paramedic personnel to cover up a shooting, and that's nearly impossible even in Sin City where our tourist friendly reputation is paramount. "What happens here stays here?"

On Saturday, I issued a follow up E-Brief hoping it would inspire new information:

Disappearing witnesses

 

Regarding last Sunday's purported shooting at the Las Vegas Crazy Horse Too, I'm becoming increasingly aware that I may have been given false information by at least four sources.

 

My original source in the shooting story was also responsible for feeding Las Vegas SUN columnist Jeff German information regarding the purchase of the Crazy Horse by San Francisco businessman Luke Brugnara. Last Friday in his column, Mr. German questioned the veracity of his original story of January 26.

 

I'm now finding myself in the same predicament.

 

Because of the importance of the story I relayed, and the fact that there is no record of such a shooting with the LV Metro Police Department, I've challenged my four sources to meet with me eye to eye.

 

No one has agreed to do so citing fear of retaliation.

 

I do not accept that excuse in a free society, so I'm giving the four sources until Monday afternoon to make themselves available for a confidential interview to relay their "eyewitness" accounts. I will protect their identities under the Nevada Shield Law. If they refuse, I will feel compelled as a journalist to make a full retraction in an E-Brief, on Rick Porrello's Organized Crime Forum, and on PhillyBlog.com where the shooting story has taken on a life of its own.

 

I take great pride in living in Las Vegas, and would hate to know that a shooting can occur and then allegedly be covered up by local law enforcement officials. Several police officers reminded me that it would have taken dozens of persons working together in secrecy to carry out such a cover up, and that's highly unlikely.

 

I will let you know my decision Monday evening.

 

Steve Miller

Now, I hesitate to issue a retraction based on the affidavit I received moments before my INSIDE VEGAS deadline, and I'm hoping this last minute column inspires credible witnesses to contact me at Stevemiller4lv@aol.com if they were in the Vegas Crazy Horse Too on Sunday morning January 29, around 6 AM, or know any other facts.

However, as a life long Las Vegan, I really hope I'm being duped because I respect the thousands of men and women in local law enforcement, and would hate to learn that a few rogue cops have the power to cover up such an important story.

Late breaking development:

Sunday Feb. 5, at 7 PM PST, a second eyewitness contacted me to state that he observed the taped off front of the Crazy Horse Too on the morning of Jan. 29. Why would Metro Police close a business and tape off its entrance unless something very important happened, and if this occurred, why was an Incident Report not filed?

Steve Miller will be the guest on the Lou Epton Radio Program, Wednesday, February 8, 2 - 3 PM PST. Tune in to KKVV AM 1060, or listen live on the Internet @ http://www.loueptonshow.com/. Call in numbers: Las Vegas - 702-650-5588, out of state - 800-366-8883.