Pictured: Prominent Las Vegas attorney and his wife killed by her former father-in-law who then turned weapon on himself at child custody hearing in law office
A leading Las Vegas attorney was among the two people shot dead at a law office on Tuesday.
Dennis Prince and his wife, Ashley Prince, were killed inside the offices of Prince Law Group in Summerlin when another attorney opened fire during a deposition before turning the gun on himself.
Robert Eglet, Prince’s former law partner, described him as ‘one of the best trial lawyers in the state.’
‘It’s a real loss to the community,’ Eglet told the Las Vegas Review Journal. ‘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.’
Dennis Prince, a prominent Las Vegas attorney, was among the victims in Tuesday’s shooting at the Prince Law Firm. Also killed was his wife, Ashley
The couple were present for a deposition in a custody case involving Ashley Prince and her ex-husband, Dylan Houston
Gunshots broke out in the firm’s fifth-floor offices around 10 a.m. Tuesday
Speaking to KTNV, sources confirmed the gunman’s identity as another attorney, Joe Houston, who fatally shot the couple before taking his own life.
Ashley Prince was Houston’s former daughter-in-law, the same sources said.
Houston and the Princes were present for a deposition Tuesday in a custody case involving Ashley and Houston’s son, Dylan.
The couple have two young children together, and records show Dylan filed for divorce in 2021.
Prince was representing his wife in the case, sources said.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the shooting occurred at around 10 am on the firm’s offices on the fifth floor.
The shooting prompted hundreds of other people in the building to shelter in place. They were later evacuated by law enforcement officials
Prince was representing his wife in the custody case. Sources identified the gunman as Robert Houston, another attorney and the father of Ashley’s ex-husband
Shots were reportedly fired during the deposition, with Houston later turning the gun on himself
Prince’s former law partner described him as ‘one of the best trial lawyers in the state’
As bullets flew, hundreds of other occupants sheltered in place. Officials later passed through the building and safely evacuated them.
‘As you can imagine we have a five or six-story building,’ McMahill told KLAS.
‘We have people that are hunkered down following active shooter protocols. We’re going door by door and making sure everybody in there is okay and evacuating them.’
An area for family reunifications was established on the fifth floor of the Red Rock Resort, just down the street from the office.
According to a biography on the law firm’s website, Prince was the founding member and lead trial counsel on all major cases.
He was recognized as the Nevada Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2016 by the Nevada Justice Association and had tried more than 100 cases to jury verdict at the time of his death.
In a statement, Prince’s friend Tom Letizia, a political statement, described him as a ‘distinguished attorney’ who was regarded as ‘one of the finest in our state.’
‘Dennis was not only a close friend of mine but also a respected figure within our legal community, whose absence has left us all in mourning,’ Letizia said.
‘The news of this tragedy has profoundly shocked me and our entire community.’
