Police on Tuesday released the name of a man arrested Sunday after a killing on Highway 395 in Washoe Valley and the shooting of a witness.
Steven Contreras, 24, also known as Victor Rodriguez, is being held in the Washoe County Jail on suspicion of felony attempted murder.
According to authorities, Contreras shot and killed Rene Angulo, 17, and left his body on the shoulder of the highway between Eastlake Boulevard and the Bellevue Road bridge about 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Passerby Wayne Nash, 51, saw Angulo's vehicle on the side of the road and stopped because he thought there was an accident. He was shot in the leg as Contreras allegedly fled the scene in Angulo's Honda, said Washoe County Sheriff's Capt. Dave Nikoley.
The charge upon which Contreras is being held relates to the Nash shooting, said Nikoley. A murder charge is expected to be handed down when the investigation into Angulo's killing is complete.
While Nash's wife stemmed the bleeding, his daughter called 911, said Nash's father-in-law, former Carson City Sheriff Paul McGrath.
The trio gave police a description of the Honda, which was spotted later on Old Highway 395 near Bellevue Road.
Contreras allegedly crashed the vehicle into a ditch and fled on foot, leaving a trail of clothing and hundred dollar bills along the way, said Nikoley.
He was found by a Washoe County K9 unit, hiding naked in the brush.
A motive in the shootings remains unknown, said Nikoley.
McGrath said it was typical of his son-in-law Nash to stop to help someone.
"He's the most generous person in the world. He'd give the shirt off his back," McGrath said.
Nash is recovering in a Reno hospital. McGrath said doctors weren't sure at first if they could save Nash's leg after a "large caliber bullet" tore through his right calf. Ultimately, his leg was saved.
"His wound is pretty serious," McGrath said. "(Wayne) said, 'It felt like it blew my leg off.'"
According to Angulo's family, the teen kissed his mother goodbye about 10 a.m. on Mother's Day and went out to job hunt around town.
He was last seen alive at El Pollo Loco at noon by his older brother's girlfriend.
The family said they do not believe the Carson High School junior knew Contreras, a convicted felon and known gang member.
"He didn't hang around any of those kinds of people," said Angulo's older brother Mario Angulo on Monday. "My brother was not involved in any of that stuff."
Mario Angulo said Rene went to school, worked and spent time with his family and girlfriend, whom he'd dated since the seventh grade.
On his Myspace.com page, Rene mentions he was born and raised in Carson City. Among the photos he shares is one of him working at Kentucky Fried Chicken and another where he's holding his niece.
In a description of himself, Angulo said he liked to "go out places with my friends, chill (with) family and anything that is fun and will make me laugh."
Nikoley said every indication is that Angulo was an innocent victim.
"We are vigorously trying to determine how the two made contact," he said.
"We cannot find, at this point, any connection between them."
Nikoley said Contreras has been interviewed by investigators, but he declined to reveal the content of the interview.
He said it is also unclear who was driving the Honda as it moved down the highway before the shooting and if Angulo was shot while he was driving.
"We are still trying to determine that through forensic evidence," he said.
Angulo is survived by his parents, Martha and Martin Angulo, siblings Juanita, Alondra and Mario and numerous extended family members.
