Email records reveal alleged shooter warned management about escalating feud

[00:00:00]Emails obtained exclusively by 8NewsNow reveal what appear to be a warnings before an alleged murder, a city maintenance worker charged with killing his coworker claiming several times the alleged victim may have harassed him.

[00:00:11]>> So, those emails are really giving us some insight as to what management may have known before that deadly shooting and also how it responded. Erin Ariano in the newsroom after reviewing those documents.

[00:00:22]>> Bryson Kim appeared to warn supervisors at the City of Las Vegas multiple times about troubles he had with coworker Joey McLean months before Kim, according to police, shot and killed McLean.

[00:00:35]The first sign of trouble comes on February 12th of this year when Joey McLean asks an HR employee to request a transfer away from their downtown maintenance site. He says due to an unforeseen emergency. That emergency not made clear until February 14th when Bryson Kim emails a streets and sanitation supervisor about three incidences involving McLean. Coworkers described their escalation to us. We agreed to hide their identity.

[00:01:03]>> Bryson was a good guy that got pushed to his limits.

[00:01:06]>> The first detailed by Kim allegedly occurred on January 26th when he says McLean unlatched the bed of a dump truck causing it to nearly crush Kim's feet.

[00:01:17]Kim says this is the second time McLean unlatched the bed and he has never had this issue working with anyone else. Kim then talks about February 8th when he alleges McLean stared him down at work for no apparent reason saying he McLean is trying to get him to lose his cool and quote get a case against Kim. Kim says this is creating an uncomfortable and toxic workplace.

[00:01:40]>> They had went to management and asked them to please separate them physically at the workplace.

[00:01:46]And that's pretty much what management should have done from the get-go.

[00:01:49]>> The next day Kim receives this text from McLean after work. Kim tells his supervisors McLean makes personal attacks and accusations regarding Kim's wife and steroid use. Finally back to work after a few days off, McLean says Kim confronts him again, witnessed by two other co-workers. McLean asking him why he did not respond to his text. One co-worker's written testimony claims Kim told McLean he did not have to respond to him and wants nothing to do with him.

[00:02:17]McLean then accusing Kim of getting the city involved, repeatedly telling Kim, "You're not going to win." over and over again until a crew leader intervenes.

[00:02:27]>> He's been telling him that he's messing with him, messing with him. Keeps messing and they didn't do anything.

[00:02:32]>> By this point, management catching on, realizing McLean's request to transfer stems from this beef between the two.

[00:02:39]The issue making its way to then director of public works Joey Pasquale, who says on February 17th they're investigating. The deputy director of public works tells McLean he cannot transfer due to signing a contract which keeps him at the same work site until the end of the year.

[00:02:55]>> Even to the detriment of the other employees, he was sticking to his story that you cannot bid outside of your bid time.

[00:03:02]>> Pasquale says in an email issues with a co-worker is generally not a reason to change sites. Meetings and interviews are set for early March with McLean, Kim, and any other witnesses to their beef. Before those meetings, McLean sends his complaints against Kim, calling Kim aggressive and confronting him over the work truck incident and saying Kim made a joke about locking McLean in the bathroom, which McLean perceived as imminent violence. By the time all the interviews are done, McLean is the one who is put on paid administrative leave for the February 13th confrontation. The review concluded there was not enough witnesses or documentation to substantiate the truck bed incident.

[00:03:43]And management concluded while McLean was on leave, his conduct only constituted a written reprimand and was was back to work in mid-March where he continued working at the same work site as Kim. Reporting live in the newsroom, Erin Oriano, 8 News Now.

[00:03:58]>> Now, the city of Las Vegas is telling us they did take steps were taken to ensure that Kim and McLean were reassigned so they didn't work together. Kim is facing an open murder charge and claims the city did not do enough to help them.

[00:04:11]>> For the latest on this and other stories, visit 8newsnow.com and tune in to our live newscasts on channel 8 every day at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. or weekdays from 4:00 to 7:00 a.m.