2 Las Vegas police officers honored for actions in July ‘18 shootout
Two Metropolitan Police Department officers will receive a prestigious law enforcement award on Sunday in Washington, D.C.
Metro officers William Umana and Paul Solomon will receive the TOP COPS award for their handling of a shootout that occurred on the streets of downtown Las Vegas in July 2018, Metro said in a news release.
The 26th annual awards ceremony at the Omni Shoreham Hotel is put on by the National Association of Police Organizations and seeks to recognize the brave men and women in America’s law enforcement, the release said.
On July 11, 2018, two men were killed and one was injured after a morning shootout that left a downtown Las Vegas elementary school on hard lockdown, police said.
The violent events began about 7:30 a.m. when officers responded to a shooting at a car wash at 1402 N. Eastern Ave. Calls to police indicated that a man had been shot multiple times in the chest before his attackers fled in a black Ford Expedition, the news release said.
That man died at University Medical Center about 10:15 a.m.
Police found a vehicle matching the description of the suspects’ vehicle several hours later near 29th Street and Constantine Avenue, according to the release. The black SUV sped off when officers tried to stop it, police said.
Metro traded gunfire with the SUV occupants, Fidel Miranda, 22, and Rene Nunez, 30, during a police chase, which ended when the Ford Expedition crashed into a wall at Hollingsworth Elementary School, 1776 E. Ogden Ave.
Nunez, the driver, exited the vehicle and ran toward the school’s locked door. Miranda remained inside the SUV, moved into the driver’s seat and put the vehicle in reverse, backing into officer Umana, who got out of his vehicle with his weapon drawn.
Umana fired several rounds at Miranda and was joined by officer Solomon, who used his shotgun to fire one round at Miranda, ending the threat and killing him, the release said.
Nunez was quickly located and taken into custody and booked into the Clark County Detention Center, police said.
Contact Jessica Terrones at jterrones@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256. Follow @JessATerrones on Twitter.
