“Las Vegas Worker’s Chilling Final Warning to HR: ‘I’m Afraid for My Life’—Months Before Fa-tal Sh00ting”
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A Las Vegas city maintenance worker is charged with murder in the shooting death of a co-worker, and city records obtained by FOX5 show management was aware of a months-long conflict between the two men before the killing.
Brysen Kim is charged with the murder of Joey McLean, who was shot in the head the morning of June 12. Kim has pleaded not guilty. His murder trial is set for February.
‘I am afraid for my life’
A Freedom of Information Act request filed with the city seeking all emails, documents, and internal records mentioning HR complaints, requests for department transfer, or interpersonal conflict involving Kim or McLean yielded more than 1,500 pages of documents.
Those records show McLean once considered Kim a friend. In February, McLean requested a transfer to a different work site, though he did not name Kim specifically. He wrote to the city: “If I could put this off until next shift bid I would, unfortunately this is urgent. I need the city to be flexible and help.”
Within days, Kim filed an HR complaint against McLean, alleging McLean had unlatched the bed of a dump truck, causing it to fall and nearly crush Kim’s feet. Kim also told management that McLean had written “Keep it Aloha” on his work truck, and that as a Hawaiian, he felt the phrase was directed at his nationality in a negative or mocking manner.
Escalating complaints
McLean also filed an HR complaint against Kim, citing what he described as “escalating events.” In that complaint, McLean wrote: “I am writing to reiterate the severity of this situation and to request immediate and definitive action to ensure my safety… I am being actively stalked by Brysen Kim outside of work hours, which adds another layer of fear and intimidation to this situation. The combination of his delusions, steroid use, access to a firearm, and stated gang affiliation makes his threats credible, and his behavior dangerously unpredictable… I am afraid for my life.”
Management response
Following the complaints, McLean was placed on paid leave and his work badge was deactivated, restricting his access to work sites. Managers debated whether to grant his transfer request. One manager wrote: “I think we open the door for one ‘emergency transfer’ and we will have this same situation occur after every vacated position and staff will constantly request to move shifts for ‘emergency’ reasons… They both chose their shift, they need to learn to work together and have an amicable relationship.”
After McLean returned to work, the two men worked together more than two dozen more times before the shooting, though they were assigned to separate tasks. Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley has addressed how the city plans to review the events leading up to the shooting: https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/06/27/grand-jury-indicts-las-vegas-city-employee-co-workers-death/
