Las Vegas NowNew Details on Teen Arrested in Bombing Death

New Details on Teen Arrested in Bombing Death

LAS VEGAS -- A teenager and a 44-year-old man set off a pipe bomb this weekend in a northeast Las Vegas neighborhood. The blast killed the man and now the teen is charged with murder. But this dangerous device wasn't their first.

The explosion emergency shook the area near Craig and Nellis. The pipe bomb detonated in a nearby desert lot rocked homes late Saturday night. It frightened neighborhood children and was a wake-up call for adults.

But inside a small apartment on Cessna Avenue is where the pipe bomb was built, according to court documents. Forty-four-year-old Arturo Ayala-Martinez, a Mexican national, died after the bomb exploded before his eyes. Seventeen-year-old accused bomb-maker Mario Librado was also injured and now faces a list of criminal charges, including murder.

Read the Arrest Warrant

“I just heard the bomb and we thought that somebody had shot. And then we went outside and there was police and everybody there already,” said neighbor Maria Moran.

This wasn't Librado's first brush with danger, so says his arrest report. An officer writes, "Librado said he had constructed bombs on several previous occasions and detonated them in the same desert area where he was injured.”

While this blast has sparked concern, residents of the apartment complex were the bomb was made are relieved it wasn't worse. “It would have been horrible if one of these kids would have gotten hurt,” said neighbor Jose Hernandez.

The pair bought several bomb-making ingredients at two different stores on Saturday. Metro has not released information on if the two were regulars at those stores.