Christopher Masters

Christopher Masters was an adventurer who loved to fish, hunt, and hike, a father who always found a way to make his family laugh. In 2017, his daughter convinced him to move from Colorado to Las Vegas, Nevada. Though he struggled with addiction for several years, living in a maintenance shed and selling trinkets he found, by November 2021, the 48-year-old Caucasian male was on the verge of a new beginning. He had just secured a job as a security guard and was one day away from moving into his own apartment.

The turn in his life began with a stroke of good fortune that ultimately led to tragedy. On November 7, 2021, Masters won a $4,000 jackpot at a local gaming establishment and shared the news with friends in his neighborhood near South Royal Crest Street and Twain Avenue. That same day, two assailants robbed Masters and an acquaintance at gunpoint, stealing $1,000 from them.

Two days later, on the afternoon of November 9, Masters and his friend again encountered the men who had robbed them in an alley behind the 3700 block of Royal Crest Street. The men demanded more money, but Masters and his friend refused. One of the men then shot Christopher Masters multiple times in the chest. The shooter also fired at Masters’ acquaintance, who was not reported to be hit. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a report of gunfire at 3:53 p.m. and found Masters in the alley. He was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the torso.

The shooter had fled, but the investigation moved quickly. Witnesses identified 18-year-old Jeremiya Hines as the gunman, with one person picking him from a photo lineup. Hines was known to Masters and had previously bought some of the trinkets he sold. On November 18, police arrested Hines in a car on Royal Crest Street. During questioning, when detectives asked why people in the area were saying he was responsible, Hines reportedly pointed at himself but then denied shooting Masters.

Jeremiya Hines was booked into the Clark County Detention Center and initially charged with murder and attempted murder. In March 2022, he accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter. His sentencing was scheduled for June 2022, where he faced a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.