Man charged in shooting of Minn. man

LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas police say a deaf Minnesota poker player may have been shot and killed outside an apartment complex near the Strip as a result of a marijuana transaction gone bad.
John Cyril Collins, 39, of Lake Crystal, Minn., a small town near Mankato, died May 11 after apparently being shot by a passenger that had been in his back seat. The shooter has not been identified by police or found.
However, police said they have arrested another back seat passenger, Rufus Anthony Smith, 27, of Las Vegas. He is charged with being involved with the drug deal and the shooting of Collins while the Minnesota man was exiting a Cadillac car that he and his girlfriend, Julie Kneisl, drove to Nevada to buy marijuana.
Smith and the other passenger fled the scene on foot. When police arrived on the scene, Collins’ girlfriend, who is also deaf, was caring for him.
Police reported finding $7,880 in Collins’ duffel bag in the car.
Las Vegas police tracked down Smith through a phone number provided by Kneisl, the report said. Smith was arraigned Friday on charges of murder, conspiracy and kidnapping charges for his role in the case.
Collins often competed in Deaf Poker Tour tournaments in Las Vegas.