A homeless man in Nevada suspected of killing three men and shooting a dog in a 90-minute spree on Labor Day told cops “anything without a home gets terminated,” police said.
Tristan Tidwell, 35, was arrested early Tuesday in North Las Vegas, where he told police he was homeless and targeted the three victims and a dog because he thought they were also transients, according to an arrest report obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Tidwell told investigators he had to “put down” the men, who were shot between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Monday. Two of the victims have been identified as Jorge Godoy-Lua, 43, and 53-year-old Oliver Hillman — both of whom died from gunshot wounds to the back and neck, respectively, the newspaper reported.
Tidwell is also accused of gunning down a third man near East Cheyenne Avenue and Civic Center Drive who had yet to be identified as of Thursday. Video from the three crime scenes showed Tidwell calmly walking the streets prior to the slayings, the report indicates.
Police said Tidwell also shot a dog near the Silver Nugget Casino, KLAS reported. The animal’s condition was unclear Thursday, according to the station.
Tidwell was taken into custody while sitting on a power box roughly a half-mile from the third shooting scene. He allowed cops to search his backpack, leading investigators to find a black handgun and a paper towel with dried blood on it, KSNV reported.
Tidwell acknowledged his actions were unjustified when asked by investigators, according to the arrest report.
“Oh no, it’s wrong,” the ex-con told police. “It’s against the law. But it has to be done.”
During a second police interview Wednesday, Tidwell admitted to the slayings, giving a “detailed confession” of how he killed all three victims, the station reported.
Tidwell, who remains in custody without bail on three counts of open murder and other related weapons charges, is due to appear in court Monday, the Review-Journal reported. It’s unclear if he’s hired an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Tidwell was formally charged Wednesday, North Las Vegas police said. A message seeking additional comment from the department was not immediately returned Friday.
The accused triple murderer has a long criminal history and was released from the Clark County Detention Center in July after pleading guilty to malicious destruction of property, KLAS reported.
Tidwell was initially charged with home invasion and was sentenced to six months in jail, but got credit for 79 days already served. He was also arrested in 2018 for attempted robbery and burglary of a Las Vegas bank, according to the station.