Las Vegas police officer kills armed man

A Las Vegas police officer shot and killed a man who pulled a gun in a restaurant Thursday night, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 6:30 p.m. at Kentucky Fried Chicken, 2840 E. Tropicana Ave., after police received reports of a man taking food from customers’ plates.

Police Chief John Sullivan said two officers responded to the call at the restaurant. Sullivan said the officer tried to frisk the man as a safety measure, but the man resisted, keeping one hand in his pocket.

"When his hand was forced out of his pocket, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at one of the officers," Sullivan said. "The second officer fired what appeared to be three shots."

The man was pronounced dead on the floor of the restaurant between two rows of tables.

One of the bullets struck the man in the side. Police were not sure where the other bullets hit him.

The victim, who was black and in his late 20s or early 30s, was not identified Thursday night. The names of the officers involved are withheld for 48 hours, according to department policy.

The two officers responded to the 6:09 p.m. call in separate cars. Dispatchers were told 20 minutes later that the shooting occurred.

At least six witnesses were interviewed by police, Sullivan said.

Metro’s homicide section will investigate the shooting, as will the Internal Affairs Bureau.

Thursday’s incident was the second fatal shooting involving a Las Vegas police officer this week.

Jeffrey D. Holden, 37, was shot in the head Monday near the Showboat Hotel after police said he tried to run down officer Steve Kircher, 26, with a stolen 1991 Chevrolet Corvette.

An inquest by the Clark County Coroner’s Office into the shooting of Holden has been scheduled for Jan. 11. Such an inquest is required when police are involved in a civilian’s death.