Man killed in confrontation over vehicle stolen at mall and tracked to east valley apartments
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Christopher Hall got a call from a family member to help track down a stolen vehicle a few days before Christmas. Hours later he was under arrest, accused of killing a man who tried to drive away when Hall confronted him.
An arrest report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department indicates Hall, 51, shot Rodrigo Maya Blanco at an apartment complex on Tree Line Drive just south of Charleston Boulevard in the east valley. Blanco was with another man near the stolen 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe when Hall arrived at the scene.
Just before 7 p.m. on Dec. 21, a call to Metro police indicated the Tahoe had been stolen from the parking lot at Meadows Mall in the west valley. The caller said they were able to track the location of the vehicle using an app on a phone that had been left in the vehicle.
An hour later, after calling Hall for a ride and help to find the Tahoe, the stolen vehicle was found and the caller notified police. Officers were dispatched.
But instead of waiting for police, Hall approached the two men. One man ran north, and the other — Maya Blanco — got into a pickup.
“Christopher Hall drew his firearm and fired one round toward the blue 1999 GMC Sierra pickup. The round traveled through the closed driver’s side window and struck the single occupant, a Hispanic male adult in the left temple,” according to the arrest report.
When he was detained, Hall told police he “panicked” and shot, but he wouldn’t say anything else, asking for a lawyer when police brought him in for an interview. He said he was scared.
A witness at the scene saw Hall shoot Blanco when he tried to drive away, according to the arrest report. The witness said Hall was never in the path of the vehicle and shot from about a car length away.
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