Oscar Garcia, 33, was found dead on the patio of an east Las Vegas apartment in the early morning of December 4, 2019. The Clark County coroner ruled his death a homicide, listing multiple gunshot wounds; police believe he was shot several hours before his body was discovered just before 7:15 a.m.

Investigators say the shooting grew out of a dispute at a vacant apartment where several people were squatting. After an argument over a machete, Garcia ended up locked out on the patio and began breaking windows. A call for help brought 35-year-old Gerardo Aparicio, 19-year-old Oscar Reyes and two others to the scene. A witness said Reyes drew a rifle and shot Garcia multiple times; Reyes later confessed that Aparicio allegedly ordered him to shoot and that he fired three shots, aiming at Garcia’s feet before Garcia screamed and fell.

A jailhouse informant identified Aparicio and Reyes, and both men were arrested on December 28, 2019, each charged with open murder and conspiracy to commit murder and held without bail. Anyone with information about Oscar Garcia or the events that night is asked to come forward.