A well-known Las Vegas attorney and his wife were shot and killed Monday morning by the woman’s former father-in-law before the alleged gunman fatally shot himself during a deposition, according to authorities and reports.
Colleagues identified the two victims as lawyer Dennis Prince and his spouse, Ashley Prince, who were allegedly shot by another lawyer, Joseph W. Houston II, around 10 a.m. at the Prince Law Group’s office about 15 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
“Based on our interviews, they were here inside the law group going over, doing a deposition hearing that had to do with child custody,” said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Lt. Jason Johansson during a news briefing.
The custody deposition involved two children whom Ashley Prince shared with her ex-husband before the gunfire began, sources told KTNV.
The accused shooter was representing his son in the legal proceeding.
Ashley Prince was previously married to another lawyer, Dylan Edward Houston, before he divorced her in 2021, the Review-Journal reported, citing court records.
Dennis Prince provided legal representation for his wife, who was granted joint custody of the two children she had with Dylan Houston, according to the newspaper.
On Monday, Ashley Prince filed an “emergency motion for sole custody of the minor children; and for attorneys’ fees and costs,” the newspaper reported.
Dennis and Ashley had just welcomed a new baby, KTNV reported.
Nearby schools were placed on brief, soft lockdowns that have since been lifted, FOX 5 reported.
Businesses nearby, including City National Bank and a Life Time gym, were not placed on lockdown.
Police shut down traffic in the area while responding to the shooting, which took place on the corner of Charleston Boulevard and Pavilion Center Drive.
Prince’s former law partner Robert Eglet told the Review-Journal that Prince was one of the top trial lawyers in Nevada.
“It’s a real loss to the community,” Eglet said. “It’s awful. It’s a loss to our profession. … This is every family’s nightmare, something like this happening. I’m still trying to put my arms around the fact that this actually happened.”
