Cigarette denial preceded man’s fatal beating outside Las Vegas food bank, police say

A man was fatally beaten outside a Las Vegas food bank after he intervened to protect his companion from a stranger who became angry when she refused to give him a cigarette, according to an arrest report. The Metropolitan Police Department announced on Wednesday that Shiloh Leutu, 38, had been taken into custody in connection with the death of Scott Dennis, 60, which occurred on July 9. Police stated that Leutu punched and kicked Dennis in the head and abdomen while Dennis was defending himself against Leutu and another unidentified suspect. A department spokesperson said in an email Thursday that Metro has not yet made a second arrest in the case, and Leutu’s arrest report does not identify the other suspect. Leutu faces one count of battery of an older person resulting in substantial bodily harm, per online Las Vegas Justice Court records. He was initially charged with open murder on Wednesday, but the Clark County District Attorney’s office announced on Thursday that it would not pursue that count, noting that charges could be amended pending the autopsy results. When asked why the open murder complaint was not pursued, the district attorney’s office said it may adjust charges based on the forthcoming autopsy report, which remains incomplete. The arrest report noted that the physician who conducted Dennis’ autopsy believed the altercation contributed to a possible heart attack, although the official determination awaits further analysis. Surveillance footage captured the confrontation. Metro received a 911 call from a woman just before 6:20 a.m. on July 9, reporting that her boyfriend had been beaten by “gang members” outside the City Impact Urban Food Bank at 928 East Sahara Avenue, near South Maryland Parkway. Emergency responders transported Dennis to Sunrise Hospital, where he later died. Video from the vicinity of the food bank showed Leutu approaching the premises shortly after 4:50 a.m., roughly half an hour before Dennis and his companion arrived, according to police. Dennis walked away from the entrance to smoke in the parking lot just before 6:10 a.m. when the unidentified suspect, who had just arrived outside the food bank, asked Dennis’ woman for a cigarette. When she said she had none, the report said, the man appeared upset and began insulting her. Police said Dennis returned to the entrance and shielded his companion as the two men argued. The unidentified suspect threw what police believe to be a piece of food at Dennis before attempting to strike him, sparking a fight on the sidewalk that spread to the parking lot after the suspect pulled Dennis there, the report stated. While the unidentified suspect gripped Dennis’ right arm, police said, Leutu struck Dennis repeatedly in the head and abdomen. Police said Dennis fell onto the sidewalk while walking back toward the food bank. With his feet lifted in a defensive stance, the report said, the unidentified suspect dragged Dennis by his leg back to the parking lot. Leutu hit Dennis in the head several times as Dennis tried to rise, according to the report. The other suspect also threw Dennis to the ground before he could get up, police added. “It appeared Suspect #1 was trying to support Dennis on the ground while Suspect #2 (Leutu) started kicking Dennis in his abdomen,” the report said. Leutu and the other suspect departed the scene shortly after 6:15 a.m., police said. Video showed Dennis lying on the ground while his companion photographed the two suspects, the report noted. Later surveillance footage captured Leutu outside The Lovewell Center, a facility that assists homeless individuals, where he changed his clothes. When staff were shown a photo of the suspects taken by Dennis’ girlfriend, they identified Leutu as one of the men. Police located and arrested Leutu just over one mile from the scene shortly before 12:35 a.m. on Wednesday. Leutu told detectives that Dennis had placed him and the unidentified suspect in headlocks after Dennis struck and kicked them—a claim that contradicts the surveillance video. Authorities added that Leutu had previously been named as a suspect in a grand larceny report after allegedly stealing an espresso machine from his employer. Leutu’s initial court appearance is set for Monday, according to online tribunal records.