This indictment places the City of Las Vegas as a nominee on my list of the Worst Employers of 2026.
Not because a workplace homicide occurred. Employers can't stop every act of violence.
But because, according to public records obtained by FOX5, maintenance worker Joey McLean repeatedly begged management for help, warned that he feared for his life, and was allegedly murdered by the very co-worker he warned about.
First came an urgent transfer request: "I need the city to be flexible and help."
Then came an HR complaint that should stop every manager in their tracks. McLean alleged his co-worker was stalking him outside of work, had access to a firearm, claimed gang affiliation, and had become increasingly threatening. He ended with six chilling words: "I am afraid for my life."
Those words don't prove every allegation. They don't require an employer to accept one employee's account without question.
But they absolutely require action.
Instead, according to the records, one manager worried that granting an "emergency transfer" would encourage similar requests from other employees. The employees, the manager wrote, "need to learn to work together and have an amicable relationship."
That's breathtakingly tone-deaf.
When an employee says he fears another employee might kill him, the employer's first concern cannot be whether accommodating the request creates an administrative headache.
Employers aren't expected to guarantee perfect safety. But they are expected to take credible threats seriously, investigate promptly, separate employees when appropriate, and take reasonable steps to reduce foreseeable risks.
Whether the City of Las Vegas met its legal obligations is for others to decide.
What troubles me is something more fundamental.
Management wasn't blindsided. McLean didn't stay silent. He asked for help. He requested a transfer. He documented escalating conduct. He said he was afraid for his life.
Then, according to prosecutors, the very co-worker he warned management about shot and killed him.
Most workplace conflicts never become violent. But the ones that do often leave a trail of warnings.
The real test of workplace violence prevention isn't whether you have a policy in your handbook. It's whether you recognize those warnings before tragedy strikes.
When an employee tells you they're afraid for their life, don't worry about the precedent you'll set by acting. Worry about the consequences if you don't. And also worry about making my list of the year's worst employers.