Las Vegas police shoot, kill armed man who allegedly charged at officers

Las Vegas police shot and killed a man they said “charged” at them with a weapon early Tuesday in the central valley.

Someone called 911 at 12:41 a.m. to report a “suicidal” person in the 2500 block of South Eastern Avenue, near Sahara Avenue, Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Joshua Martinez said in a recorded statement.

Citing a preliminary investigation, Martinez said officers made contact with a man who was armed with a blade.

At some point during the interaction, Martinez said, the officers first deployed less lethal weapons.

“The male advanced on the officers after being struck by the low-lethality option,” he said.

That’s when two officers shot him, Martinez said.

The unidentified man died at a hospital, he said. Police did not release additional details.

This was the second Las Vegas police shooting of the year involving a man whom police believed may have been suicidal.

On Feb. 2, an officer who had responded to a call involving a man walking on U.S. Highway 95, near Charleston Boulevard, was shot with his own gun as he tried to restrain the man, police alleged in an arrest report.

Police said Dylan Thomas Branson fired five rounds with the officer’s gun, striking the officer once in the thigh.

Thomas, who told investigators he had been drinking and blacked out during the entire incident, remained at the Clark County Detention Tuesday on a $250,000 bail, records show.

He is facing a litany of charges, including attempted murder, records show.

If you are thinking about suicide, or are worried about a loved one or friend, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Lifeline network at 988. Live chat is available at 988lifeline.org.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow @rickytwrites on Twitter. Review-Journal digital content producer Mark Davis contributed to this report.