Las Vegas Strip McDonald’s Ex-Worker Allegedly Shot Current Employee

Posted on: November 9, 2022, 08:43h. 

Last updated on: November 9, 2022, 03:33h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A man was arrested over the weekend in connection with an earlier shooting of a McDonald’s employee outside of a unit of the Las Vegas fast-food eatery. The victim suffered 35 to 45 wounds from birdshot pellets in his head, back, and neck.

The iconic McDonald's sign
The iconic McDonald’s sign, pictured above. A former Las Vegas Strip McDonald’s employee allegedly shot a current worker outside of the eatery. (Image: Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The shooter, dressed in a black-and-white skull mask and dark clothes, fired the shotgun on October 28 while the victim was on a sidewalk along the Las Vegas Strip, police said. This McDonald’s Restaurant is across from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

The suspect, Victor Angel Villanueva, 28, of Las Vegas, was arrested Saturday for attempted murder with a deadly weapon, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

He apparently blamed the victim for his firing from the eatery, according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrest report.

Lying in Wait

Villanueva stood outside the McDonald’s for over an hour, waiting for the intended victim to exit the restaurant’s back door. When the victim appeared at about 11:50 p.m., he saw the armed suspect and attempted to flee. But Villanueva, some five yards away, began firing his short-barreled shotgun, police said.

The victim first felt wounds on his head. Later, the victim told police the suspect was terminated after he got into a dispute with a customer. It is unclear what the disagreement was over.

The victim explained that on the night of the shooting, he had gone outside to take a break. He began walking along the sidewalk. He had seen Villanueva outside the restaurant the hour before the shooting, but he didn’t see the firearm. It appears that the shotgun was concealed.

After the police arrived, the victim was taken to University Medical Center. His immediate condition wasn’t available on Wednesday, and it’s unclear if the victim required surgery at the hospital.

Cops Initially Let Suspect Go

Shortly after the shooting, police questioned Villanueva. He was let go because he didn’t possess a skull mask or firearm.

Later, officers discovered a black hoodie, a Dickies beanie, a black-and-white skull mask, and a black weightlifting belt near Haven Street. The belt was used to hide the shotgun, police said.

Villanueva was arrested on Charleston Boulevard near Rainbow Boulevard in Las Vegas. As of Wednesday, he remained in custody at the Clark County Detention Center, according to online jail records. Bail was set at $100K, the Review-Journal said.

The case will be turned over to local courts for prosecution. Villanueva could face a prison sentence of at least two to 20 years if convicted.

A key piece of evidence may be a surveillance video that captured the violent incident, police said.

“The footage showed the suspect had a clear plan and targeted the victim solely,” according to a Metro police arrest report as quoted by the Review-Journal.

“There were multiple opportunities with other people walking in the parking lot area directly next to where the suspect was hiding. The suspect lay in wait for (the victim) to exit the business a second time prior to running up and shooting him from approximately five yards away.”