Sandi Sutton, a resident of Maple Valley, was identified by the Clark County Coroner’s office in Las Vegas as one of the victims of the shooting and subsequent car crash which happened in the early morning hours of Feb. 21 on Las Vegas Boulevard, the city’s center of gaming known as The Strip.
Sutton was a passenger in a taxi cab that was struck by a Maserati at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard. According to Officer Jose Hernandez in the public information office of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, the taxi exploded and caught fire, trapping Sutton and the driver. Both Sutton and the driver died at the scene.
“This morning occupants of a black Range Rover opened fire on the occupants of a Maserati,” LVMPD Sheriff Douglas Gillespie said at a news conference on Thursday. “The Maserati driver, having been shot, sped through the intersection of Flamingo and Las Vegas Boulevard, colliding with a taxi cab and causing a six car accident. The driver and passenger of the taxi both died on the scene when the car exploded due to the impact.”
Police believe that the altercation between the drivers of the Range Rover and Maserati began in the valet area of a nearby resort, the Aria Hotel and Casino, after which both vehicles began traveling northbound on Las Vegas Boulevard. After colliding with the taxi, the Maserati also struck four other vehicles, Hernandez said in a phone interview on Friday. The driver and passenger of the Maserati both suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to a local hospital where the driver, Kenneth Cherry Jr., died of his injuries. Three people from the other vehicles in the crash were also transported to the hospital.
Sutton grew up in Maple Valley and graduated from Tahoma High School in 1982. She is survived by her husband, James Wasmund, and their three children, Austin, Sarah, and Hunter.
Sutton was also a local business owner, and an active member of the Greater Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce and the Maple Valley Rotary. Together she and her husband owned All Service Plumbing and she was also co-owner of The Dazzled Dame with Leih Mulvihill. The store had recently moved to a new location in Maple Valley Town Center about a month ago. Sutton and Mulvihill were in Las Vegas together, attending a business convention.
“I honestly can’t remember what year we met,” said longtime friend Tina McDonough. “The thing that drew me to her was that I’m highly involved in Susan G. Komen and she (Sutton) was a two time survivor. We’ve always been on the same team to find a cure.”
Sutton had participated in Race for the Cure 5k with the local team Touched by Jeanie. Last year Sutton also participated in the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk for a Cure with Valley Girls and Guys, a team McDonough founded.
“2012 was her first time walking the 3-Day with us and she immediately signed up for this year,” McDonough said. “We’ve done a lot of stuff together…just a big heart, big smile. (She was) really well known and well liked in the community. Just an amazing person and friend. She’s left a hole in this community and our hearts. She’s going to be forever missed.”
Contact Covington Reporter Reporter Katherine Smith at ksmith@covingtonreporter.com or 425-432-1209 ext. 5052.
