Man in critical condition after Fernley shooting

FERNLEY - Lyon County sheriff's investigators are looking for a suspect in a Friday morning shooting that left a 27-year-old man critically wounded with a bullet lodged in his spine.

David A. Hightower, 27, was airlifted to a Reno hospital by Care Flight after the 9:35 a.m. shooting.

He was shot once in the face and remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit late Friday afternoon, according to Capt. Allen Veil of the Lyon County Sheriff's Office.

The sheriff's office named Dustin Fryling, 22, as a suspect in the shooting at 895 Mesa Drive.

A warrant has been issued for his arrest on suspicion of attempted murder with a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $100,000 by the Canal Township Justice Court in Fernley.

Fryling is considered armed and dangerous. He is 6 feet tall and weighs about 130 pounds. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black "Black Jack Motors" jacket, blue jeans and a dark ball cap with a rebel flag.

Fryling also sports several tattoos including the word "Sebastian" on the front of his neck in cursive writing, a naked female on his left forearm and a flaming duck on his chest.

Sara Moore, who witnessed the shooting, said Fryling also has the word "white" and the word "power" on opposite forearms.

Police were called to a yellow, single-wide trailer that sits behind a house on Mesa Drive to investigate the report of a shooting.

Investigators interviewed several witnesses who either saw the crime unfold or who live in trailers nearby.

Moore said she was at the mobile home and getting ready to leave for her job at Scolari's when Fryling arrived at the residence.

"He and his girlfriend started arguing because he took off in her car two days ago," Moore said Friday. "She told him to get out."

The dispute led to an argument and then a physical altercation between Fryling and Hightower, Moore said.

"Then Justin just casually pulled up his glasses, pulled out a 9 mm and shot David twice. David hit the ground," she said.

Moore and others who were in the trailer ran to the back of the residence to find a way out, she said. She said she hid in a closet because she was unable to exit the mobile home. After someone pushed out a screen she escaped and ran to the front door to check on Hightower's condition.

He was slumped at the front door, she added.

"I thought Justin had ran away. When I walked up the front steps to try to make sure David was alive - he was gurgling - Justin shot him again," said Moore. "He was in the kitchen where I couldn't see him."

Capt. Veil said only one bullet hit the victim, and investigators are still checking how many shots were actually fired.

Sheriff's deputies collected evidence at the crime scene while a group of friends and acquaintances of the suspect and the victim gathered outside.

Anyone with information about Fryling or his whereabouts is asked to call the Lyon County Sheriff's Office at 775-463-6620 or 775-575-3383.