LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Channel 13 obtained a 911 call detailing the moments after local bartender Hope Ritter was shot and killedin downtown Las Vegas on Saturday.
The passenger in the car, who was getting a ride home from Ritter after her shift at Atomic Liquor, made the call:
“I’m at 421 South 11th Street. Hope, the bartender I’m with right now— she drove me home. We were talking about two guys that walked by. They came back and shot her in the head. There are two bullet holes in the window and she’s bleeding out. She’s dead.”
The 911 dispatcher followed with questions about the description of the suspects.
Take a listen:
[Warning: This clip may be sensitive to hear. Listen at your discretion.]
The dispatcher continuously tried to comfort the caller as he described the suspects we now know as 18-year-old Philip Strong and 20-year-old Charles Wright.
The Las Vegas Metro Police Department arrested them both on Monday. Wright was already in custody for unrelated charges. Police said he was re-booked into jail for open murder with a deadly weapon. Strong was arrested on Friday in North Las Vegas and booked for open murder with a deadly weapon.
Both suspects had their court appearances this week.
Towards the end of the 911 call, the passenger saw police lights heading his way. The dispatcher said three units were nearby.
"Oh my god, Hope is no longer here. It is my fault because I wanted to bring her to my house. She gave me a ride home. Hope, no”
29-year-old Ritter's boss told Channel 13 she was a warm and welcoming person who was beloved at Atomic Liquors. She leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter.
You can watch the conversation with Atomic Liquors here:
"The staff has had a very difficult time getting back to normal, and you know, it won’t be normal for a very long time," Andrew Mendez told Channel 13. "Someone like that that’s left such an imprint on everyone down here; it’ll never go back to the way it was. No one is going to fully recover from this."