Nevada Highway Patrol trooper fatally shoots man in Elko
A Nevada Highway Patrol trooper on Friday night shot and killed a man who allegedly fired at the trooper while running from a traffic stop in Elko.
The shooting happened about 10:20 p.m. Friday at 12th and River streets near downtown Elko, about 400 miles north of Las Vegas, the Highway Patrol said in a statement Saturday. The trooper stopped the man for a “suspected traffic violation,” and during the traffic stop, “impairment was suspected.”
Before the trooper gave the man a field sobriety test, the 30-year-old Elko resident ran from the trooper, the Highway Patrol said. While he was running, the man pulled out a gun and fired multiple rounds at the trooper, the agency said.
The trooper then shot the man, the Highway Patrol said. He died at the scene.
The Elko Police Department and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the shooting, the Highway Patrol said.
The trooper involved has been placed on routine paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated. He is assigned to the Highway Patrol’s Elko District.
More information about the shooting will be release during a news conference Tuesday morning, the Highway Patrol said.
#breaking NHP is investigating a OIS involving a Trooper on 12th and River in Elko. Trooper is not injured. No further details at this time. Avoid the area. @NHPNorthernComm @NHPNCEast @NevadaDPS @NHPColonel #nhpsocomm
— NHP Southern Command (@NHPSouthernComm) June 27, 2020
Further information was not immediately available.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.