It's supposed to be a happy time of year, but for many across the Las Vegas valley, it has been marred by extreme violence.
"It is not unusual to see a spike during the Christmas season," said 13 Action News Crime and Safety Expert and Retired Las Vegas Metro Police Lieutenant Randy Sutton.
Sutton says in his law enforcement experience, the holidays can bring out the worst in family feuds.
"Holidays are not happy for everybody. There's sadness, loneliness, those things bring murder-suicides, they bring issues of temper," explained Sutton.
The recent homicide spike across the Las Vegas valley began just days before Christmas.
Police say a couple in their 50's was found shot to death inside their home. No motive has been revealed, and the killer is still at large.
The same day, just hours later, police say an argument among roommates spiraled out of control.
Police say an argument among roommates spiraled out of control and it left three people dead.
"What stands out to me, is that there have been a number of multiple victim homicides, that's pretty unusual," said Sutton.
The violence continued to escalate on Christmas Eve when a woman's partially burned body was found in a dumpster. Police detectives continue to ask for tips to catch the killer in that case.
Two days later, two people were shot outside a swap meet near Rancho and Washington. Police continue to look for clues in that case as well.
"What we are seeing is a societal issue, where people are choosing to go out and get a gun after an argument and then kill the people there have the argument with," explained Sutton.
The most recent murders occurred Wednesday evening near Bonanza and Pecos roads.
Police say the shooting left two people dead and two others in critical condition.
Police say the shooting suspect, Clarence Wilson, was a prohibited firearm possessor because of a previous conviction.
No motive has been revealed, and no suspect has been identified in that shooting.
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