Las Vegas Sun

January 8, 2009

Police: Man shot ex-wife as she held their daughter

Tue, Nov 18, 2008 (12:48 p.m.)

Click to enlarge photo

Mauricio Ernesto Solano-Mejia

Metro Police have identified 24-year-old Mauricio Ernesto Solano-Mejia of Las Vegas as the suspect in the Monday shooting of his ex-wife at the Gold Spike hotel and casino in downtown Las Vegas.

The woman, who was shot in the face while holding their toddler daughter, is still in critical condition at University Medical Center, police said. Authorities didn't identify her.

Solano-Mejia has been booked into the Clark County Detention Center for one count each of attempted murder; child endangerment; assault with a deadly weapon, in this case a firearm; possession of stolen property, in this case a firearm; and violating a temporary protective order, police said.

Officers were called to the parking lot of the Gold Spike, 400 E. Ogden Ave., at about 12:35 p.m. Monday and found that the woman, her current boyfriend and an unrelated boy who the woman was babysitting had arrived to meet her ex-husband, police said.

The mother was supposed to pick up their 18-month-old daughter from Solano-Mejia, police said. They met in the City Hall Parking Garage.

Solano-Mejia then asked the woman to go to his car, parked in the nearby Gold Spike parking lot, to pick up their daughter, police said. The woman did, and as she held the child and started to gather some clothing, an argument started, police said.

During the argument Solano-Mejia allegedly grabbed the woman by the throat and shot her in the left temple with a small caliber handgun, police said.

The woman fell to the ground, still holding the girl, police said. A passerby grabbed the toddler and ran into the Gold Spike Casino, seeking shelter and help.

Two Gold Strike security officers along with the woman's boyfriend, who had remained at their car with the boy, restrained Solano-Majia until Metro Police officers arrived and took him into custody, police said.

The young girl wasn't injured in the shooting, police said, but was taken to a local hospital for a routine checkup before she and the boy were turned over to Child Protective Services. The boy has been released to his parents.

Discussion: 14 comments so far…

  1. What a despicable man! Some father, huh? Shoots his ex-wife while she is holding the baby. He needs to be locked up for a long, long time. I hope someone big and mean makes him their new girlfriend in prison.

  2. I WORK WITH THE MAURICO, HE WAS A NICE GUY. MOST BE A REASON FOR HIM TO DO THAT.. BECAUSE UNTIL NOW I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPEN..

  3. I FEEL SO SAD.. AFTER ALL I KNOW MAURICIO.. I REALLY FEEL SORRY FOR HIM... JUST HOPING FOR HIM NOT TO LOOSE FAITH IN GOD..

  4. What is this fiend's immigration status?

  5. You feel sorry for Maurico? Excuse me, he shot a woman holding a baby! I hope they lock him up forever! He was not a nice guy and there is NO reason on this earth for him to shoot his wife. Men do not have the right to shoot or hit, or slap a woman, no matter what she does to them, ever!

  6. Mandalay - R U NUTZ??????????????

  7. Want to venture a guess as to what BOTH of their immigration status is (Mauricio and Mandalay's that is)

  8. "Want to venture a guess as to what BOTH of their immigration status is"

    Who cares? What does it have to do with him being a criminal?

    Seems to me it's mostly fat lazy white beer drinking American slobs who have all the guns. I lived in Vegas all of one week before some fat lazy white beer drinking American slob shot his wife to death in a domestic dispute.

    I've also noticed that it's the fat lazy white beer drinking American slobs that are the first to question someone's immigration status. Probably because they fear that illegals are infringing on their fat lazy white beer drinking American slob status.

  9. What relevance is there in anyone involved in this tragedy to their residency status? This is just about the terrible facts of domestic violence, and how a TPO is useless to protect someone. This poor woman, a fellow human being, regardless of her immigration status, was almost executed while holding her baby. And again regardless of his immigration status, this twisted man shot his ex-wife while she was holding his baby. How, in this situation, is there any relevance to legal or not legal immigration status? Is domestic violence isolated to one group of individuals based on their race, color, or nationality? NO!!!

    All that being said: Mandalay, are you serious? You hope he has not lost his faith in God? He attempted to take a life. Where was his faith in God when he chose to put a gun to the side of his ex-wifes head and pull the trigger, WHILE SHE WAS HOLDING THEIR BABY?????? You feel sorry for HIM???? A woman may die because of his actions, I think your sympathy is grossly misplaced. You wrote "MOST BE A REASON FOR HIM TO DO THAT". Are you saying that you are of the belief that there is ever a valid reason to execute an innocent woman holding a baby? You need to get a grip on reality, legal resident or not, your friend needs to burn in hell for what he did! Your sympathy and prayers should be with the woman who is, by no fault of her own, laying in a hospital fighting for her life.

  10. Well said, RickHLV!
    I would only change your commentary slightly for myself.

    Since I don't believe in a hell where people burn in the afterlife, good old Mauricio should be kept in a cage till he dies so that he can no longer contribute to this hell we call earth.

    Well said, johnevegas!
    Cretins come in all races.

    starrynite7, I agree with you that no person has the right to physically harm another.
    That means that you are equally wrong to wish anal rape on Mauricio.

    I'd prefer all murderers to be confined to solitary for life, which should really last till death with no possibility of parole.

    A solitary cell with no visitors, no mail in or out, no tv, no computer, etc. would serve justice and keep society safe.

  11. Johnevegas, if you're illegal you should get the hell out of our country as well.

    As for fat, beer drinking white slobs. Well, we got plenty of those. Just like you've got plenty of ILLITERATE, BROWN BABY-PUMPING, SQUAWS clogging up our ER's because they've got a cold.

  12. William, thanks for the Kudos. I have to admit that sometimes I tone down my comments from my true feelings, as I know not everyone wants to hear about some sick and twisted individual being put up against a wall and shot by firing squad, starting at the knees and working the shots upwards, until such time that a slow, agonizing death has occurred.

    Yes, I believe in capitol punishment. I see no reason to warehouse murderers, rapists, or child molesters for the remainder of their lives, all at the taxpayers expense. I would much rather see the money we spend on providing these criminals with food and housing, go to the education of our children. But thank you ACLU and all the rest of the bleeding hearts, we can't infringe upon the rights of the convicted scumbags.

    One more thing: For all those of you posting all the hateful comments on this thread based on nationality, or race, because you feel like this is "Our" Country, and therefore you are superior, ask an American Indian their opinion of who the true "Natives" are. I'm not supporting illegal immigration, but get off the high horse. There is white scum, there is black scum, there is brown scum, there is yellow scum. There is no race, there is no group, without its' share of scum. And additionally there is no group which belongs in this Country more than any other, except for, like I said before, the American Indians. Whether it was by legal means or not, the bottom line is that almost all of our families immigrated to this Country at one point or another.

  13. Lenny_V - I'm a murkin' Mr Jurkin. One who is sick and tired of "illegal" immigrants being scapegoated for every single bad thing that happens by fat stupid lazy white Americans. So I'll stay here and keep complaining about bigots like you.

    Here's my credo...
    Give me your tired, your poor
    Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.
    The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
    Send these, the homeless, tempest -- lost to me.
    I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

    What's yours? Get the hell out?

  14. LennyV, very well said .......

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