Maserati driver killed in Vegas ID'd

LAS VEGAS -- The Maserati driver who died after being peppered with gunfire from someone in a Range Rover SUV, sparking a fiery crash that killed two others, was identified Friday as an aspiring rapper originally from Northern California.

The Clark County coroner confirmed Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr. was killed, although the cause of death was still being investigated. It wasn't clear Friday whether Cherry died of gunshots or the crash.

The coroner hasn't identified the taxi driver and his female passenger who died when the cab exploded early Thursday, but a family member identified the cabdriver as Michael Boldon, 62.

Cherry's great aunt, Patricia Sims, of Oakland, Calif., told AP that Cherry's parents were flying to Las V egas to claim their 27-year-old son's body.

"Right now my heart is breaking," Sims said. "This has really been a tragedy. Kenny was just a delightful kid." Sims, 75, said Cherry grew up in the Berkeley and Oakland area and attended two Catholic high schools there. He moved to Las Vegas in the past couple of years, though Sims said she didn't know her nephew was a rapper using the name Kenny Clutch.

Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie told reporters Thursday that the shooting was sparked by an argument in the valet area of the nearby Aria hotel-casino, and it traveled to one of the busiest intersections on the Las Vegas Strip. As bullets flew from the Range Rover, the Maserati ran a red light and smashed into the taxi.

Three more cars and a utility truck also collided as the Range Rover sped off in the darkness about 4:30 a.m.

Police said a passenger in the Maserati was cooperating with the investigation.

Las Vegas police Officer Jose Hernandez said Friday the Range Rover was being sought in Nevada and the neighboring states of California, Utah and Arizona. It had a car dealer's advertisement in place of a license plate.