Officers in northwest valley shooting identified
Two Las Vegas police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man Thursday in the northwest valley were identified Saturday as Christopher Grivas and David Hager.
Grivas, 30, and Hager, 33, both have been with the department since June 2005.
The officers have been placed on routine paid-administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
The shooting stemmed from an argument about 7 a.m. at 7704 Music Lane, near Buffalo Drive and Summerlin Parkway. The man who died in the shooting left the home and then encountered police. Ralfy Olivas, 21, died in the shooting.
A family member of the deceased man told the Review-Journal that his cousin had gotten into an argument with his mother before the shooting. Victor Chavez, 21, said Olivas was distraught and wanted to die.
Police said they encountered Olivas carrying a butcher knife walking toward them on Firestone Drive.
They gave Olivas orders to drop the knife. Police said they shot him with a beanbag shotgun to no avail.
Olivas kept walking toward officers with the knife in his hand until he was shot multiple times.
Olivas’ mother called 911 after the fight with her son intensified.
She blamed herself for her son’s death because she called police, Chavez said.
Police did not confirm that the incident was a suicide-by-cop but said they were investigating that possibility.
Police said the mother told dispatchers her son was “out of control.” Police did not know what the argument was about, but the mother was not hurt.
Las Vegas police officers have been involved in 12 incidents this year in which at least one officer fired a weapon on duty. Nine of those incidents resulted in deaths.
Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.
