Zhihao Li

In the early morning hours of February 4, 2016, a heated argument inside a Las Vegas home ended the life of Zhihao Li, a 40-year-old Hispanic / Latino man. The fatal confrontation took place around 2:30 a.m. at a residence on Nookfield Drive, in a neighborhood near Buffalo Drive and Flamingo Road.

According to police, a shouting match erupted between Li and two other men inside the house. The dispute escalated violently when one of the men pulled out a gun and fired at both Li and the other man involved in the argument. Li was struck in the head, while the other intended target was not hit. Emergency services rushed Li to University Medical Center, where he was initially listed in critical condition but ultimately died from his injury. The Clark County Coroner’s office later ruled his death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the head.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department began an immediate investigation. The day after Li’s death, authorities publicly identified a suspect and announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for Fuyan Liao. The warrant included charges of first-degree murder for the death of Zhihao Li and attempted murder for firing at the other man who escaped injury.

At the time, police described Liao as a 56-year-old Asian male, 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighing 152 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Authorities also warned that he used different aliases. Investigators determined that after the shooting, Liao fled the west valley home in a white 2009 Infiniti SUV with Nevada license plates 712ATZ. As of the last public update in February 2016, Fuyan Liao was still wanted in connection with the shooting and remained at large. The case is unsolved. Anyone with information is asked to call Metro’s Homicide unit at 702-828-3521 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.