LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Several 911 callers helped identify the shooter in last week’s shooting at a Summerlin law office in several calls the 8 News Now Investigators obtained Monday.
Joe Houston II, 77, shot and killed Ashley Prince, 30; and her husband, Dennis Prince, 57, during a custody deposition at Dennis Prince’s law firm on Monday, April 8. The firm is located on the fifth floor of an office building at the corner of Charleston Boulevard and Pavilion Center Drive in Summerlin.
Several people called from inside the building, reporting the shooting. Many were hiding in their offices, including some in offices right next to the conference room where Joe Houston was still shooting during the first calls.
Joe Houston was there to represent his son, Dylan Houston, in the custody dispute with his former wife, Ashley Prince. Dennis Prince was representing his wife. Several other people were in the room, including two other lawyers and a court reporter, sources told the 8 News Now Investigators.
Joe Houston died by suicide before police arrived.
Dylan Houston and Ashley Prince have two young children at the center of the custody dispute. Dennis Prince and Ashley Prince had a child together in December.
Ashley Prince expressed safety concerns before Monday’s child custody deposition.
“Do you have any private security you recommend?” she texted private investigator Hal De Becker. “Dylan has a ton of guns in that house.”
The first 911 call came in from the fifth floor at 10:04 a.m. The caller said she heard seven or eight shots.
“Prince Law Group,” the caller calmly told a dispatcher.
“There was just a shooting in our conference room,” another caller told a dispatcher as a gunshot is heard. “I’m hiding under the desk.”
“It was so loud,” another caller says. “Please hurry.”
One female witness told police she was inside the conference room when Joe Houston II pulled out a gun, the woman fled the room with the court reporter and deposition witness before shots were heard.
“The gun came out next to me and it was so shocking that we fled the room,” the female witness said. “I don’t know if anyone was hit with a bullet—there were several shots fired.”
Another witness hid in a nearby office inside the City National Bank building, before getting on the phone with the dispatcher they could be heard thanking employees for letting them in to hide.
“As soon as I heard the noise I dropped to my knees and crawled out,” the witness said.
Multiple witnesses from the fifth floor, at the Prince Law Group offices, told police dispatchers they fled their workplace and hid in offices either on the same floor or floors below.
“I heard the gunshots go off and people started screaming, ‘He killed Dennis,’” the witness said. “I ran downstairs to the third floor and the folks let me in here and gave me the phone to make this call.”