Police say video shows slaying of Vegas liquor store clerk


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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Surveillance video shows a Las Vegas liquor store clerk's last moments— standing before two yelling gunmen with his hands raised and shaking his head as if to say, no, he doesn't have a way to open the safe, according to court documents made public Friday.

A police report said one gunman walked away before the other shot Matthew Christensen and kept shooting after the 24-year-old clerk fell to the floor.

Christensen has been called a hero for not revealing that a pregnant manager was also in the store.

The manager, Jaime Henderson, told investigators the robber who didn't display a gun kept his hands in his pockets, made a comment about her being pregnant, and told her that nothing would happen to her, according to the police report.

Video of the April 18 robbery and killing at a Lee's Liquor store on in southwest Las Vegas hasn't been made public.

Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said it'll be key evidence when a jury hears the murder case against accused shooter Ray Brown and co-defendants Lee Dominique Sykes and Lee Murry Sykes.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said a decision whether to seek the death penalty is several weeks away.

Prosecutors could convene a grand jury before a preliminary hearing, which has yet to be scheduled for Brown, 22, and the Sykes brothers, ages 20 and 22. Each was appointed a lawyer Friday during initial court appearances on murder, kidnapping, conspiracy and robbery charges. They're due for another court hearing Tuesday.

Attorneys Mark Bailus, for Lee Murry Sykes, and David Schieck, for Lee Dominique Sykes, declined outside court to comment on the case. Brown's attorney, Joshua Tomsheck, also declined to comment.

Brown also faces a child endangerment charge after police said he shielded himself with his girlfriend's 6-year-old daughter when SWAT officers arrived Tuesday at her Las Vegas home to arrest him. Brown eventually surrendered and the girl wasn't injured.

Police characterized Brown as a known gang member.

The police report identified Brown as the shooter, and Lee Dominique Sykes as the other armed robber. Jail booking records and Las Vegas Justice Court documents spell Sykes' name Dominic.

Sykes worked for about six months as a cook at a neighboring Buffalo Wild Wings where police said he stopped showing up after the slaying but ducked in to pick up his paycheck April 22.

Company spokeswoman Heather Leiferman in Minneapolis said Lee Dominique Sykes no longer has the job.

Brown and Lee Murry Sykes told Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Deborah Lippis they didn't have jobs.

Brown and Lee Dominique Sykes have prior felony convictions, according to court records. Lee Murry Sykes was sentenced in July 2013 to 90 days in jail on a misdemeanor unlawful taking of a vehicle conviction.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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