Man arrested over murder of homeless man living in drainage canal

An arrest has been made over the murder of a homeless man living in a Las Vegas drainage canal that happened two months ago.

The incident occurred on Feb. 20 at approximately 2:40 a.m. when the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department received a report of an unresponsive male located by a drainage canal near Arville Street and Harmon Avenue, just two miles west of famed Las Vegas Boulevard.

"The investigation led by the LVMPD Homicide Section indicates the victim lived inside the drainage canal where the shooting took place," authorities said in a statement released on Monday. "After being shot, the victim exited the canal and collapsed."

The unnamed victim was declared dead at the scene of the crime, police said.

A break in the case came last Thursday, however, when LVMPD detectives were able to identify 34-year-old Jemiah Garner as a suspect in the murder that happened two months ago.

Garner, who was already in custody on unrelated charges at the Clark County Detention Center, was rebooked last Thursday for open murder with a deadly weapon, police said.

Authorities have not released any information on the potential connection between the two men or what may have led up to the shooting but the investigation into the case is ongoing.

Anyone with any information about this incident is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section by phone at 702-828-3521, or by email at homicide@lvmpd.com.