LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — According to an arrest report, 93-year-old Robert Thomas stormed into the office, upset about a water leak that occurred in the apartment above him, when he decided to pull out a gun and shoot the Vista Del Valle apartment manager. The arrest report released Tuesday also stated that Thomas said the leak was causing damage to his apartment, so he went to the office demanding to speak with Eric Koenigsberg, the manager of the complex.
Koenigsberg invited Thomas into his office to discuss the issue, but Thomas wanted Eric Koenigsberg to call the police, the report said.
So Kelly Lethem, the assistant manager, did exactly what he wanted: She called the police and pressed the silent alarm. While Lethem was on the phone with cops, Thomas ordered Koenigsberg to have a seat, but when he refused, Thomas became angrier, the report said.
Koenigsberg told police Thomas reached into his coat and grabbed his gun and said, “Now, I have to shoot you!” Koenigsberg started to plea with Thomas, asking him not to shoot him, and that’s when Thomas told Koenigsberg he wanted him to feel like he felt, the report said.
Thomas told police he wanted to see if the gun worked, so he took aim at a couch and pulled the trigger. Thomas let Lethem leave so she could continue talking to Metro dispatch on the phone.
As Koenigsberg tried to calm the situation, Thomas fired the gun again, but this time it was at Koenigsberg, police said. Koenigsberg fell to the ground, and Thomas shot him again. Both shots were heard over the phone by emergency dispatch.
According to the arrest report, Monty Moore, another resident who was affected by the flooding, also complained, and Koenigsberg explained that the water had been shut off and that they were working on cleaning it up. Moore was in the clubhouse on the computer when Thomas came in, and he said Koenigsberg told him the same thing, but Thomas was not happy with the response.
Moore said Thomas thought management should have been doing more to help with the damage that had been caused. According to the arrest report, Thomas repeatedly called Koenigsberg an a**hole when Koenigsberg told him that he did not have any other apartments available for him and that an extraction company was going to come out and fix the leak and clean up the water.
Moore said he saw Thomas holding his gun, so when he heard a shot fired, he took cover.
As Metro Police officers arrived at the scene, they heard the gunshot. They ran up to the building and found Thomas still holding the gun, so they ordered him to drop it as they fired a shot.
According to Metro Police, Ronald Hornyak was the officer who fired his gun. The investigation revealed Hornyak fired one round, but it did not injure Thomas. According to Metro, the bullet hit his lapel and went straight through without injuring Thomas.
Police ordered Thomas to drop the gun again before tackling him to the ground. Thomas was taken into custody.
When police asked Thomas why he took the gun with him, he said he “I took it to shoot that son of a b*#ch.” Thomas also said that he didn’t want to hurt the manager, before telling police that he got him a chair to sit down, and “then I shot him in both his f*cking legs.”
Thomas told police he was upset about numerous things, but mostly about the flooding that was happening in his apartment for three to four hours.
He told police he did not want to kill or permanently disfigure Koenigsberg; “I just wanted to f*ck him up a little bit.”
The arrest report said Thomas said that he would do it again. Thomas was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
Thomas’ charges are as followed:
- Carry concealed weapon without a permit
- Burglary while possession of a gun/DW
- Discharge of a gun within a structure/vehicle within a prohibited property
- Kidnapping 1st degree, E/DW
- Attempted Murder E/DW
Neighbors described Thomas as a mysterious man who kept to himself.
“He didn’t talk to anybody; he would tip his hat. He reminded me of old Vegas,” one neighbor said.
