From a Fox affiliate in Los Vegas: "Man steals open-carry firearm, shoots, kills gun owner in Downtown Las Vegas business" (5/23/2025). An excerpt:
LVMPD’s homicide section responded. Detectives learned that the victim was openly-carrying a firearm inside the store and was waiting in line to pay until [suspect Kyle] Capucci entered the AutoZone.
Detectives said the suspect “acted erratic.” After a short interaction with an employee, Capucci would lunge for the firearm on the victim’s waist and a struggle ensued.
The suspect would grab the gun and shoot the victim. He fled the AutoZone and left the gun behind.
An NBC affiliate adds: "The victim had been exercising his legal right to openly carry the weapon when the suspect, identified as 36-year-old Kyle Capucci, managed to seize it." It continues:
Firearms instructor Ken Ortega noted the rarity of such incidents. "It's not very often. There are only two documented open carry homicides that have happened in recent years. So it's really more of the anomaly," he said. Ortega emphasized the importance of using a level-2 or level-3 retention holster to prevent unauthorized access to the weapon.
Maggie Mordaunt from the Women's Defense Network highlighted various reasons individuals might choose to open carry. "They may feel strongly about just maybe exercising their right. They may feel strongly that... maybe they can't get a concealed carry," she said.
The article also notes that the practice can make members of the public feel uncomfortable, especially visitors from California where open carry is prohibited.
The primary problem with open carry for the civilian defender is that it eliminates the primary advantage of concealed carry: that other people do not know you are armed. As a consequence, the open-carrier becomes the focus of attention of a criminal, either as the first person to be eliminated, or as an easy way to steal a pistol.
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