Police investigating officer-involved shooting in downtown Las Vegas
Las Vegas police are investigating the second officer-involved shooting of 2018 — an incident near the Stratosphere that unfolded less than 24 hours after the first.
Police received a call about 11:30 p.m. Friday about a man waving a gun and “acting erratically” on the 1800 block of Las Vegas Boulevard South, Metropolitan Police Capt. Chris Little said early Saturday.
Police responded and found the man waving a handgun, said Little, who is with the department’s Office of Internal Oversight and Constitutional Policing.
Officers tried giving the man commands, but he did not comply, Little said. Instead, the man ran into a street, turned and pointed the gun at police, Metro said, at which point an officer fired at him. The man was shot, taken to a hospital, and is expected to survive, Little said.
No officers were injured.
Little said it is too early in the investigation to know whether the man was under the influence of any substances or had mental health issues.
The incident took place just north of the Stratosphere, close to the intersection of East St. Louis Avenue. and Las Vegas Boulevard South.
Not far from the scene, bystander Jamal In, 42, said he had been walking his brother’s dog down St. Louis Avenue at about 11:30 p.m. Friday with headphones in his ears when he heard four, loud booms — “like they were shooting a cannon.”
“Next thing I know, I start seeing the lights,” In said, referring to an ambulance and police arriving at the scene.
About 1 a.m. Saturday, In stood by a Carl’s Jr. sign at the intersection of St. Louis and the boulevard, while Khloe, a Catahoula Cur, sought attention from strangers.
First incident
The first officer-involved shooting of the year took place about 21 hours earlier when Las Vegas police fatally shot a man after he allegedly killed his wife hours earlier inside their south valley home.
Police responded about 12:10 a.m. to the 11000 block of Giles Street, near Las Vegas Boulevard South and St. Rose Parkway, after a 16-year-old boy called 911 to report that his stepfather had shot his mother, according to Metropolitan Police Department homicide Lt. Dan McGrath.
Officers searched for the man until about 2:40 a.m., when police found his Chrysler near Elcador Street and Fern Tree Court, about a block from the home. The man, who was in his 40s, was sitting alone in the car, police said.
About 2:50 a.m., eight to 10 gunshots could be heard in the area.
Police said that after officers tried to speak with the man, he got out of the car and drew a gun. Two officers began shooting when he refused to follow their commands, Metro said in a statement Friday morning. The man was struck multiple times and died at the scene, police said.
The identities of the man and the woman have not been released.
Per Metro’s policy regarding officer-involved shootings, the officers will be identified after 48 hours, and details regarding the shootings will be released within 72 hours.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.
Review-Journal staff writers Max Michor and Rio Lacanlale contributed to this story.
