On Halloween of 1994, a 7-year-old boy named Tony Bagley dressed up in a skeleton costume, eager to go trick-or-treating and collect some candy.
Tony, his 10-year-old sister Shanell, his mom, and his aunt went from door to door in a neighborhood close to their home in North Las Vegas. Sadly, what was supposed to be a fun, festive outing ended in tragedy.
But as they approached a street corner at 6:15 p.m., a man wearing a hooded sweatsuit appeared out of nowhere and opened fire on the Bagley family.
He shot 10 rounds with a semi-automatic weapon. According to witnesses, the gunman then jumped into a car waiting on the street and left the area. The car’s headlights were turned off.
The only description of the man was that he had been African American, approximately five feet and eight inches tall, and dressed in dark clothing. The car was described as a mid-size gray sedan.
Tony was shot in the head and placed on life support. He later passed away from his injuries. His older sister, mother, and aunt were hit as well, but they survived.
Shanell was in critical condition and required surgery to remove part of her liver. Tony’s mother was struck in the chest, while his aunt was shot in the leg. They were treated and released from the hospital.
The shooting seemed to have targeted the Bagleys specifically. Family members speculated that the shooting may have been retaliation for a botched drug deal related to Tony’s father. However, investigators were unable to link that theory to the crime.
Other theories include a case of mistaken identity by a gang or that the intended target was another member of the Bagley family who was not with the group that night.
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Police pursued as many leads as they could, but could not track down a suspect. After nine months, tips stopped rolling in.
Shanell finally persuaded the police to talk to a psychic, who claimed they would find the gun in an abandoned building. But no gun was ever found.
On the one-year anniversary of the shooting, the late Bob Stupak, a casino executive in Las Vegas, offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Tony’s killer, but nothing came of it.
On April 8, 1998, three and a half years after Tony’s death, his father, Anthony Bagley, was charged and convicted of an unrelated murder.
He shot and killed a man named Curtis Henry on the street over an 8-year-old debt of $1,000. He was paroled after serving 20 years in prison.
Anthony has never talked to the police about who attacked his family that Halloween night.
Anyone with information about this unsolved case is urged to contact the North Las Vegas Police Department at (702) 633-9111.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
