Las Vegas, Nevada – A man is facing numerous charges after allegedly shooting and killing another man, then firing at a school in Las Vegas. According to a report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the suspect, identified as Major Sanford, claimed that the victim was “an alien” who wanted to be his brother.

The incident occurred on November 9 at around 7 a.m. when police received reports of gunshots in the area, including a call from a man whose vehicle was shot at while he was at the Las Vegas Academy of Arts. Multiple callers described seeing a man with dreadlocks and face tattoos, approximately 30 to 40 years old, holding a gun.

Witnesses reported seeing the suspect shooting at the school building before fleeing the scene. Police later apprehended Sanford as he was leaving an apartment in the area and found the victim, Shannon Awa, 46, inside the apartment with gunshot wounds. Awa was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sanford claimed that Awa, who lived with him and his mother, was not his real brother, although he wanted to be. Sanford alleged that Awa had attempted to rob him, prompting him to shoot the victim. He was taken into custody and is facing charges including open murder, discharging a gun into an occupied structure, possession of a gun by a prohibited person, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, grand larceny of a firearm, and assault with a deadly weapon.

Court records revealed that Sanford had a history of arrests dating back to 2003 for various offenses including theft, burglary, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and being an ex-felon with a deadly weapon, with previous incarceration in the Nevada prison system. As of Monday, Sanford was being held at the Clark County Detention Center with his next court appearance scheduled for January 11.

The motive for the shooting and the details surrounding the relationship between Sanford and the victim are still under investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.