Las Vegas investigative journalist Jeff German stabbed to death outside his home
Las Vegas police on Sunday were seeking the killer of investigative journalist Jeff German, who was stabbed to death outside his home on Saturday morning after an altercation. He was 69.
Jeff German, host of "Mobbed Up," poses with Planet Hollywood, formerly the Aladdin, in the background on the Strip in Las Vegas, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (K.M. Cannon/)
Las Vegas police were called at 10:33 a.m. Saturday about an “unresponsive man” outside a residence, cops said in a statement. The man later identified as German was declared dead at the scene.
“We believe the altercation took place outside of the home,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Capt. Dori Koren told reporters at a news conference. “We do have some leads. We are pursuing a suspect, but the suspect is outstanding.”
The 69-year-old award-winning journalist had spent the past dozen years ferreting out wrongdoing and malfeasance at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Before that he had been at the Las Vegas Sun for 20 years as a columnist and reporter covering courts, politics, labor, government and organized crime, AP said.
“It is shocking and incomprehensible for everyone in our newsroom,” Las Vegas Review-Journal executive editor Glenn Cook told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s a huge blow. Jeff was a beloved, looked-up-to, trusted and incredibly valuable person in our organization. And it goes without saying that we are going to miss him terribly, and it’s simply not going to be the same coming back into the newsroom and him not being a part of it.”
Cook added that German had not given any indication of being in imminent danger.
“It’s our hope that they find this person very quickly so that we can get answers to all the questions that we have as his colleagues and friends, as it relates to the work we all do,” Cook told the Los Angeles Times.
German’s stories about government malfeasance and political scandals put him on the map, as did his coverage of the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival in which 60 people were killed and more than 400 others wounded.
The man described by the Las Vegas Review-Journal as “one of Nevada’s most accomplished and trusted journalists” had held business leaders and politicians alike to account over the years, and was the first person to report that the Mandalay Bay shooter had initially aimed for volatile jet fuel tanks nearby before firing on the festival. German also documented a lack of safety plans in place at numerous casinos on the Strip, including Mandalay Bay, leading the state to revamp laws and clamp down on casino safety, the Review-Journal said.
“He was a fearless reporter and never shied away from tough stories no matter who was involved,” Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) said on Twitter. “Many exposed the need for reform, which made our city better.”
“The Review-Journal family is devastated to lose Jeff,” Cook said in a statement. “He was the gold standard of the news business. It’s hard to imagine what Las Vegas would be like today without his many years of shining a bright light on dark places.”
Police said the investigation had been assigned top priority.
“LVMPD enacted its major case protocol [on] Saturday in the homicide investigation,” the department said Sunday, according to the Review-Journal. “This brings together a variety of resources to maximize the investigative effort and apply a sense of urgency to the apprehension of the suspect.”
With News Wire Services
