Man killed by Las Vegas police had hit person, shot SWAT vehicle
A man was killed by Las Vegas police Tuesday after he struck another man in the face with a gun and pointed the weapon at officers, police said.
Trent Leach, 30, was shot once by Metropolitan Police Department SWAT officer Zachary Adam around 2:30 p.m. on the 300 block of South 11th Street, Assistant Sheriff Andrew Walsh said in a press briefing Thursday.
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Officers were initially called at 9:23 a.m. after a report of an armed man, which led to the hourslong standoff that put the Las Vegas Academy of Arts on lockdown.
The department released videos Thursday which showed Leach walking away from police and yelling “shoot me,” as officers asked him to stop.
Leach eventually walked into a vacant building and fired 20 rounds with a 9 mm handgun, striking a SWAT vehicle and the window of an occupied apartment, Walsh said.
“Mr. Leach’s reckless and dangerous actions not only endangered officers but the lives of citizens who live in the neighborhood,” Walsh said.
In one of the videos, Leach pointed a gun out the door of the building he was hiding in, aiming at officers. Walsh said Adams fired one round with a rifle, fatally striking Leach from 117 feet away.
Adams, 41, has been with the department since 2006. He was placed on routine paid administrative leave pending a review of the shooting.
Leach died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the Clark County coroner’s office ruled his death a homicide.
Walsh declined to discuss Leach’s prior criminal history, saying the department has been “vilified” for previously detailing the criminal history of people shot by police.
Court records show Leach was previously charged with coercion and tampering with a vehicle in 2012. He pleaded guilty to coercion and was sentenced to a year of probation.
In July, Metro was listed as the applicant for a high-risk protection order against Leach, according to court records.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Alexis Ford contributed to this report.
