Las Vegas police ID officers involved in deadly shooting
Las Vegas police have identified the officers who fatally shot a man suspected of killing his wife Friday in the south valley.
The Metropolitan Police Department has identified the involved officers as Celina Cruz, 30, and Anthony Raymond, 33. The two have been placed on routine paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the department’s investigation into the deadly use of force.
The shooting, which marked the first officer-involved shooting investigated by the department this year, happened at 2:50 a.m. Friday near Elcador Street and Fern Tree Court, about a block from where the suspect allegedly shot his wife.
Officers first responded about 12:10 a.m. to 11729 Giles St., after a 16-year-old boy called 911 to report his stepfather had shot his mother, according to homicide Lt. Dan McGrath. Three children under 10 also were in the home when the shots were fired, but they were not injured.
Police believed the man had fled the scene in a white 2005 Chrysler Sebring because it was missing from the garage, and officers searched for more than two hours until they found the vehicle nearby at about 2:40 a.m. The man, who was in his 40s, was sitting in the car alone.
At about 2:50 a.m., eight to 10 gunshots could be heard in the area.
Police said after officers attempted to speak to the man, he exited the Chrysler and drew a gun in his right hand. Cruz and Raymond began shooting when the man refused to follow their commands, Metro said in a statement Friday morning. The man was struck multiple times and died at the scene.
Cruz has been with the Police Department since September 2007, and Raymond joined the force in July 2006. The two were assigned to the south central area command’s community policing division.
The suspect and his wife will be identified by the Clark County coroner’s office once their families have been notified.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
