LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A young life was cut short by gunfire, and there might be only one person who truly knows what happened.
That person — a friend of the victim — isn’t talking. And the Nye County Sheriff’s Office isn’t sharing many details of how Michael Maddock died.
In February, David Maddock — his father — spoke at a memorial service at Craig Ranch Regional Park four days after his son died.
“I love you,” he said. When a friend at the service that he would miss him a lot, the father said, “We all will, buddy. Thank you, buddy.”
“It’s sad that Michael left us real soon,” David Maddock said at the memorial. “He lives with us in spirit.”
Michael Maddock was just 20 years old when he died. His father sat down with the 8 News Now I-Team for an exclusive interview in March. He spoke about the unusual circumstances surrounding his son’s death.
“It was criminal negligence,” David Maddock said.
“It’s just kind of odd how it just went off,” he said.
He recalls learning about “the tragic accident” on Super Bowl Sunday. Michael was at UMC Trauma.
“The doctors came in and said, ‘Mr. Maddock, it’s not looking too good,’ ” he said.
He said there was brain damage, and he eventually made the decision to take Michael off life support.
“It was the saddest time of my life,” he said.
Records obtained by the I-Team revealed there was a gunshot wound of the head and neck. The manner of death: a homicide, because Michael was shot by another person.
“To me it was an accident. I don’t think it was nothing intentional,” David Maddock said.
Michael and his close friend had been at a tow yard where they worked together in Pahrump, David Maddock said.
A report revealed that the friend was unloading a gun while pointing it at Michael’s face — and the gun went off.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
The I-Team repeatedly reached out, and five weeks later received a response: The case would be given to the District Attorney’s Office for a decision on whether charges will be pursued.
But as of April 4, the DA’s office said they’ve received nothing.
Vanessa Murphy: What do you want out of the investigation?
David Maddock: No prison. Just the restitution and being on probation and not being able to carry a firearm again. I wanna give him the opportunity to live his life and to learn, to learn from this.
Murphy: You know people might watch this and say, “He’s so forgiving.”
Maddock: Well, being a Catholic, though, I learn to forgive.
While he waits to see how the case proceeds, he says he believes his son is living on after his organs were donated.
“I am happy that those people have another chance in life even though Mikey is not here, but you know what I know he is looking down,” David Maddock said.
We’ve chosen not to name the friend involved because he has not been named as a suspect by the sheriff’s office.
We tried reaching him and did not receive a response.
David Maddock said he once thought of that friend as another son, but since the shooting, he has never heard from him — not an apology, nothing.