Murder Suspect Says Gun Went Off When She Pistol-Whipped Man During Argument

A woman was arrested for allegedly shooting a man following a verbal argument in Las Vegas.

On Monday, police and firefighters responding at Chelsea Drive near Sunset Road and Arroyo Grande Boulevard found a 31-year-old man, identified as Mario Hunt with a gunshot wound to his forehead. Hunt was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said police.

Lucretia Smith was taken into custody Tuesday in connection with the shooting and charged with one count of open murder, reported KLAS-TV. She is booked into the Henderson Detention Center.

According to witnesses, Smith and Hunt got into a verbal fight inside a home from where they were asked to leave. The duo then went outside and continued to fight. At one point, the altercation became physical and both of them started hitting each other.

Surveillance footage obtained by investigators showed the couple fighting and witnesses pulling them apart. Hunt was seen walking away towards the south. Smith then got into her SUV and followed him. She then confronted Hunt. "When she gets close to Mario, she holds the gun away from her thigh and raises it above her head and forcefully strikes it down hitting Mario," reads the police report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The firearm discharged and struck Hunt. As he fell to the ground, Smith ran towards her vehicle.

"Lucretia stated she attempted to ‘pistol-whip’ Mario but the handgun discharged striking Mario in the forehead," read the police report.

After Smith was arrested at a traffic stop, police found a 9mm handgun hidden between two mattresses in a room where she had been staying, reported KLAS-TV.

During the police interview, Smith admitted to being at the location of the shooting and having a gun with her, states the arrest report.

Last month, a similar incident happened in Mississippi, where a man was arrested for second-degree murder for killing a 32-year-old man. According to police, the victim and the accused were arguing over Bible verses, which turned into a fistfight. At some point during the altercation, the suspect allegedly strangled the 32-year-old to death.