Police received a report of a shooting in the parking lot of the Gold Spike casino at about 12:35 p.m., said Lt. Lew Roberts.

He said the woman was sitting in a car with her two children, her new boyfriend and a man police said was her ex-husband or ex-boyfriend. It was a regular meeting to pass custody of the children, he said.

An argument ensued and she was shot “at least once” in the head. She was taken to University Medical Center in “very critical condition,” Roberts said.

The new boyfriend and several bystanders subdued the shooter until police arrived.

“He was taken into custody by some good citizens and some security personnel,” Roberts said. “We’re lucky.”

No one else was injured.

The children were put in the care of county Child Protective Services.

Police would not discuss what the argument was about.

Lisa Brown of Las Vegas was checking into the Gold Spike with a friend when the commotion started outside. They ran to the parking lot, and Brown carried one of the victim’s children into the casino.

“She was crying. She was really confused and scared,” Brown said. “I took her inside and tried to keep her as calm as possible.”

Gold Spike employees watched the children, and David Bulthuis, one of the casino’s security guards, was among those who held the shooter for police, said Michael Crandall, director of business affairs for The Siegel Group, which owns the Gold Spike.

The casino, which for years was run-down and seedy, is in the midst of a significant remodeling. Crandall also said that the parties in the shooting were not casino customers.

“We’re putting a lot of money into the place to clean it up and clean up the area around it,” he said. “This had nothing to do with the Gold Spike. It’s an unfortunate case.”

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.