A judge heard evidence against a man accused of shooting a woman waiting at a stoplight. During the preliminary hearing for Calvin Kirklin, his friend Jabriel Fernandez testified that Kirklin wasn't aiming the gun when it went off and hit 39-year-old Blanca Gonzalez.

She was in her SUV with her two children at the intersection of Nellis and Charleston when Kirklin fired the shot through his driver-side window.

Three other adults and Kirklin's infant child were in his car. Fernandez said despite drinking three to four 12-packs of beer that day, they were only buzzed but clear headed at the time of the shooting.

Fernandez contends the shooting was an accident. “The gun went off. I got splattered with glass and then Calvin – he just had this shocked face and he looked back at myself and Bones and asked us why did the gun go off. It didn't go off a second ago when I was doing that. Why'd it go off this time, he said.”

Read the Clark County Homicide Report

In the arrest report, Kirklin told police he was heavily intoxicated the night of the shooting. He says he was handling the gun, when it accidentally went off. But police say he knew he shot someone and still drove off.

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Kirklin's mother said her son broke down in tears when she visited him in jail. “”I do believe that this was a terrible and tragic accident. I can't believe otherwise. My son is not a cold blooded killer – he's not a gang banger or anything like that. It was a terrible tragic accident.”

Kirklin has been charged with murder with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and child endangerment and he will have to face a jury.

“This is sad; this is tragic but if the state has any information or any probable cause to show you that Mr. Kirklin intentionally meant to harm that woman, intentionally meant to harm anybody – it was incumbent upon them to give that today. Frankly, what we discovered today, what we found today is this is a sad and tragic accident,” said Kirklin's attorney.

The victim's 15-year-old son says this arrest doesn't bring back his mom. “Smiling all of the time — fighting. All she wanted was to fight for me and my little sister, that's all she wanted,” said Cristian Basurto.

The next hearing is scheduled for April 30.

Four kids have lost their mother just three days after they reported her missing. 32-year-old Edith Calderon was found murdered, her body dumped in the desert.

The mother was last seen alive Saturday night and Metro has her ex-boyfriend, 28-year-old Gonzalo Tejada-Rivas in custody for the crime. He's charged with kidnapping and murder.

Read the Clark County Homicide Report 

Calderon was last seen alive at a Burger King. Her car was found not even a block away.

“I feel sad because the children have no more mom,” said neighbor Edward Hernandez-Rodriguez

He remembers Calderon and her four children. He says they lived in his neighborhood for just a short while, but he'll miss the joy they brought with them.

“They were walking around. The little kid, he was like always playing around here with my scooter and everything,” he said.

Calderon lived in the shadow of the Stratosphere in an apartment complex. All of her neighbors remember her as a very hard worker. One Saturday, she left her apartment. All four of her children were inside waiting for their mother to come home. Sadly she never made it.”

Calderon's trail went cold after she left the Burger King on Maryland Parkway on Saturday. She never showed up to work at a fast food restaurant at the MGM Grand and never returned home to see her kids.

Martina Herrera lives next door and says Tejada-Rivas never made his presence known here.

“I saw the boyfriend's picture on the news but I never saw him around here, never,” she said.

Herrera says she feels for those children who will grow up without their mother, as this community realizes the scope of this tragedy.

Police declined to be interviewed and released very few details about why they believe Tejado-Rivas killed her. An autopsy will be performed Thursday to determine an exact cause of death.

Calderon's mother has come to town to tend to the children and neighbors say they're expected to go back with her to Houston.

Email your comments to Reporter Aaron Drawhorn

A 19-year-old identified as Gabriel Peters is dead after police say he rode a skateboard into the path of a pickup truck last night in Las Vegas.

Police say the crash happened a little after 10 p.m. on Decatur Boulevard just north of Washington Avenue. Police say the skateboarder was crossing the busy thoroughfare outside a crosswalk, and it looks like the truck driver wasn't at fault.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

A major problem has left thousands without their Social Security checks. People are showing up in large numbers at Social Security offices in southern Nevada wondering where their check is.

There's no answer as to where those checks are, that's still a mystery. They were supposed to be mailed out last week and received April 3. In the meantime, Social Security officials have been inundated with folks wanting to know where their check is.

Up to 2,000 Social Security recipients, possibly more, are affected in the Las Vegas area and up in Elko. The Social Security Administration offices in Henderson and North Las Vegas were particularly busy with extremely long lines.

If you didn't receive your check, you're asked to come by a Social Security office to fill out the paperwork to get your monthly check. Social Security officials say there's a lesson to be learned from all of this.

“We want to emphasize the importance of direct deposit. If everyone had direct deposit, this would not have happened. The money would have been in the bank already. And this is a perfect example why an individual should have direct deposit set up,” said Rita Meier with the Social Security Administration.

Officials are investigating with the U.S. Postal Service to see what happened to all of those checks. If you are waiting on your check, you may also call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.

It'll be at least ten days to get the new check. However, if there is a dire need, like rent that's due or medications, the SSA will cut a new check for you on the spot, depending on your circumstances.

Email your comments to Reporter Aaron Drawhorn

The Western High School student who police say shot another classmate pled not guilty in court Thursday morning.

Tevin Carr is accused of shooting a 16-year-old classmate back in February, near Gibson Middle School, seriously injuring him.

Police say the shooting stemmed from a fight and was not gang-related.

Trial is set to set to start on May 7.

Las Vegas wants to build a brand new city hall with a price tag of $150 million. The decision comes at a time when the city is facing money problems and the potential for big budget cuts. Despite that, Las Vegas leaders say it’s still a good deal.

Some are criticizing the plan to build a new city hall. But it’s a deal an annoyed Mayor Oscar Goodman called a no brainier. “If anybody had a brain before they shot off their big mouth they would know what the facts are,” he said. (more…)

If you would like a glimpse into the future of energy-independent living, you may want to take the Southern Nevada Solar Home Tour.

The tour will feature homes, schools and businesses across the valley that use renewable energy systems, save water and are considered green. The event is designed to increase public awareness about green living.

The tour kicks off at 9 a.m. from the Springs Preserve at 333 South Valley View Blvd on Saturday, April 5. The self-guided tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there is a cost of $15 per vehicle. Hybrid/alternative fuel vehicles will receive a $5 discount.

Click here as advance registration is required.