A shooting in a Lake Tahoe casino left one man dead and prompted an active-shooter response by area authorities before the arrest of an alleged assailant and a woman in a vehicle not far away, a sheriff reported Saturday.
Deputies responding to a 911 call shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday found a 32-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head in a bar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Stateline and summoned other first responders from nearby agencies, Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley said in a statement.
Omar Reyes Garcia was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, the statement said.
Coverley later told reporters that more than 50 area law enforcement personnel responded, the casino floor was shut down and U.S. 50 was closed in Stateline while officers searched for an assailant.
KOLO-TV reported the process included checking the roof of the 11-story hotel with more than 500 rooms and other places on the property for other possible victims and suspects.
"Ultimately this would not be considered an active shooter, but what we could consider just to be a homicide," Coverly said, KOLO-TV reported. "The response may seem overwhelming and over the top, but that’s OK."
A telephone receptionist at the hotel declined to comment and representatives did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking information about the incident.
Coverley said in his statement that hotel security provided a description of a suspect and vehicle, which was located and stopped by Eldorado County sheriff's deputies on U.S. 50 near the Sierra-at-Tahoe resort, several miles south of Stateline.
Edgar Julian Delgado, 24, was arrested on suspicion of open murder and Savannah Racquel Tautaupale, 26, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Coverley said. Their hometowns were not immediately provided.
Coverley told reporters that casino security video showed Delgado and Garcia met at the casino bar and spent several hours together before they argued and Delgado shot Garcia.
Records showed that Delgado was being held without bail at the Eldorado County jail pending an initial court appearance. Records did reflect if Tautaupale remained in custody. It was not clear if they had attorneys who could speak on their behalf.
