LAS VEGAS (AP) - Hotel officials said the chief operating officer of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino was found dead in his home Tuesday, while police said they were dispatched to the executive's home to respond to reports of a man found dead of a gunshot wound.
A brief statement released by the casino east of the Las Vegas Strip expressed sadness and offered prayers for the family of Randy Kwasniewski, but contained no details about his death.
Las Vegas police officer Bill Cassell said police responded just before
10 a.m. to a report of a man dead of a gunshot wound at a home in northwest Las Vegas.
Las Vegas police Lt. George Castro said detectives were later called to Kwasniewski's house.
Police said no other details were immediately available.
Kwasniewski's family said in a statement to The Associated Press that it appreciates the outpouring of love from all over the country in response to Kwasniewski's death.
But through David Chesnoff, a family friend and attorney, the family asked for privacy.
"(Kwasniewski) was kind, hardworking and loyal to his family and friends," Chesnoff said. "We ask that folks respect the family's privacy."
The 55-year-old Kwasniewski had been president of the hotel as well as president of Morgans Hotel Group's Las Vegas division since October 2006, according no a corporate biography of Kwasniewski by Capital IQ, Inc.