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75-year-old Larry Walraven was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, as well as a hate crime enhancement.
Las Vegas police have detained a 75-year-old man on hate crime charges after he allegedly shot at his gay neighbors.
Larry Walraven was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, as well as a hate crime enhancement, according documents obtained by local outlet 8 News Now. He is accused of targeting the victims “due to their sexual orientation."
One of the victims said in a 911 call on April 25 that Walraven attacked him while he was outside his home, stating that Walraven “provided a black, revolver handgun and pointed it at [him]."
“After Walraven pointed the handgun, he fired four rounds at [the victim] with none of the rounds making contact," the documents state. Walraven then called the victim homophobic slurs while screaming "I’m going to kill you" and "I hope you die."
Police determined that Walraven's weapon was a BB gun upon arresting him. He will remain in jail without bail until his preliminary hearing on May 15, as he was already on parole for a "habitual criminal offense," according to the documents.
Walraven claimed that he did not leave his house the night of the incident, as he was taking care of his mother, and that he has "no clue what happened.”
The FBI's most recent annual crime report from 2022 revealed a 13.8 percent increase in hate crimes based on sexual orientation compared to the previous year, and a striking 32.9 percent surge in those targeting gender identity. The organization documented 1,947 incidents relating to sexual orientation in 2022, up from 1,711 in 2021.
Kelley Robinson, president of leading LGBTQ+ civil rights organization the Human Rights Campaign, attributed the rise in part to the “constant stream of hostile rhetoric from fringe anti-equality figures.” She also noted the gaps in the data, indicating that several cities and states have been reporting either incomplete or no data on anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes.
“If we’re going to bring a stop to that violence, we need a full accounting of just how many hate crimes are taking place – and that requires every jurisdiction stepping up,” she said.
