Suspected murderer identified

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has identified a suspected murderer as Anthony Gustave Nelson, who was killed in a shoot-out near Sand Mountain on Friday.

According to a WCSO spokesman, at about 7:30 p.m. on Friday, WCSO deputies responded to a residence on Leo Bingo Court on a report of a shooting that had just occurred. The reporting caller said the suspect had shot his (the reporting person’s wife) and then fled the scene in a white Jeep Cherokee.

When Deputies arrived, they found a dead woman near the home’s front door.

Detectives investigating this incident have now confirmed that the couple were friends of the resident where the shooting occurred. The WCSO spokesman said investigators reported the couple decided to check on the welfare of their friend because she had not been answering her phone.

The couple approached the home and were confronted by the suspect at the front door. According to investigators, the Nelson allegedly fatally shot the woman, exchanged gunfire with her husband and then fled the scene.

The Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office identified one woman as a 68 year-old female resident of Washoe County, and her death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound. The second victim was a 70 year-old female, a resident of the home where the crime took place. The Medical Examiner’s office reported her death was caused by sharp force injuries.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office intercepted Nelson, who had reportedly fled the scene in a white Jeep Cherokee that shortly after the incident occurred. The WCSO spokesman said a multi-agency high speed pursuit occurred that ended in Churchill County with Nelson’s death.

The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed formal identification and next of kin notification for Nelson, who was released on probation from the Arizona Department of Corrections on June 2 where he had been jailed on charges of sexual assault.

WCSO investigators, according to the spokesman, have determined Nelson is the suspect in the Leo Bingo homicide. Detectives are currently conducting an intensive background on Nelson to determine his whereabouts between June 2 and the Washoe Valley crime.

During their initial search of the Leo Bingo crime scene, detectives located a white Nissan Frontier truck with Arizona license plate AYE 9128 in the garage.

Investigators believe suspect Nelson drove the truck into the garage although he is not the vehicle’s registered owner. Authorities in Tucson, Ariz., were notified and Detectives from the Tucson Police Department are now conducting a homicide investigation at the address of the registered owner of the vehicle.

Washoe County Detectives have learned that the Nissan Frontier had been seen at the Washoe Lake State Park campground on June 12 and 13 and continues to ask for any information from the public that can help determine the whereabouts of this vehicle, and suspect Anthony Nelson, in the days prior to the killing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division at (775) 328-3320, or Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900.