Henderson police release name of officer who shot man

Henderson police have identified the officer who shot a man Thursday night near the Galleria at Sunset.

Officer Scott Alward shot a suspected kidnapper multiple times after a car chase near Galleria Drive and Boulder Highway, the Henderson Police Department said in a statement.

Alward, employed with the department since 2014, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, police said.

Officers were initially called at 6:10 p.m. to East Lake Mead Parkway and North Boulder Highway after a man reported he had escaped a kidnapping, Lt. John Plunkett said Thursday night.

When police pulled over the suspected kidnapper 3 miles away, at Galleria and Boulder Highway, the man got out of his car with a firearm in hand and Alward shot him multiple times, Plunkett said. The man’s condition was unknown Saturday night.

Alward was placed on administrative leave in August 2019 after police said he shot an unarmed 15-year-old in the arm during an attempted robbery. Alward was flagged down by two 7-Eleven employees on 1453 Boulder Highway just before 9 p.m Aug. 6, 2019, and informed that the store had been robbed.

Alward chased the boy down and said he saw an “object” in the boy’s hand. It was later determined not to be a deadly weapon, police said.

Henderson police spokesman Alan Olvera said Saturday night that he was unsure of the outcome of that investigation.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.