Woman arrested in Mountain Falls shooting faces attempted murder, firearm and battery charges
Diane Soprano was arrested as the suspect in the Mountain Falls domestic shooting that occurred yesterday morning on Feb. 19 in Pahrump. She was charged with one count of attempted murder, one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied residence, and one count of battery with a deadly weapon, according to a Nye County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) arrest report.
A preliminary NCSO investigation revealed that at approximately 7 a.m., Soprano began arguing with her husband about him leaving because she claims he leaves for months at a time with his biker club. According to the arrest report, Soprano said her husband does cocaine, drinks heavily, and ‘has been abusing her for a long time’.
Soprano told authorities that they were in the bedroom when her husband told her he was leaving again, which is when she wrapped her arms around him, pleading for him not to leave.
She further stated that her husband became angry and pushed her to the ground next to their bed. She then claimed when her husband began pulling her hair, she reached for a small pistol they keep under their bed, stating that’s when he let go of her and left the bedroom.
Soprano told police that her husband stood in the kitchen and she placed the gun on the counter, claiming this is when the incident escalated further, with him striking her on the right side of her face with his fist. The NCSO investigator noted in the arrest report that when speaking to Soprano, blood around her lips and inside her mouth was visible.
After the alleged strike, she grabbed the pistol again and backed away. Soprano claimed her husband began approaching her and that’s when she fired a single round, shooting her husband in the arm. She then said this is when her husband fled their residence through the garage to get help from their next-door neighbor.
The neighbor, and second victim in the incident, opened the door but when the husband tried to enter, he was shot a second time by Soprano who had followed him. The arrest report stated that this second shot went through the husband’s upper leg and hit the neighbor’s leg.
Soprano, according to the arrest report, was “very cooperative and visibly upset.” She told authorities that it was self-defense when she shot her husband in their home, but when she followed him to the neighbor’s house and shot again, she was very angry and was not thinking rationally.
NCSO administration told the Pahrump Valley Times via email that Soprano is still in custody at the Nye County Detention Center, with her bond set at $100,000.
Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill told the Pahrump Valley Times yesterday that both victims are expected to recover, as they do not have any life-threatening injuries. The two males were both transported for medical care after the shooting. McGill also told the Pahrump Valley Times yesterday that the suspect was transported to Las Vegas for a medical exam because she told police she had been strangled by her husband prior to the shooting.
When asked about updates today regarding that exam, McGill said he can’t share any further information. McGill also confirmed today that the husband has not been arrested on any charges. The sheriff also shared yesterday that there was never any danger to the rest of the neighborhood or the community, explaining that the incident was contained to the two homes on Jujube Street only.
This is a developing story.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
