Police officer kills burglary suspect

For the second time this week, a Las Vegas police officer has shot a suspect, but this time the victim is dead.

A statement released by Deputy Chief John Sullivan said the patrol officer fired his weapon around 1 a.m. Thursday after an unidentified burglary suspect charged at him with a knife in a vacant lot on the north side of the Fez Motel, 4213 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Las Vegas police have been involved in one-third the number of shootings this year as last. Sullivan said department officials have recorded eight officer-involved shootings so far this year, while there were 24 in 1991.

"With today’s violent society, it’s kind of hard to understand why we had less officer-involved shootings this year," he said.

He said the creation of a use-of-force policy in April 1991 may have contributed to the decline.

Since then, a Use of Force Review Board has reviewed each incident to make sure the officer acted within department policy.

In Thursday’s shooting, Sullivan said the officer had stopped the man an hour earlier in the same area, because the man appeared to be loitering. The officer questioned the man and then released him.

When the officer returned to the area, the officer saw the man prowling around parked vehicles and attempting to open doors, Sullivan said.

He said the officer approached the man and began a conversation, during which the man pulled out a knife and threatened the officer. The man began yelling at the officer, saying he would kill him and that the officer was the cause of his problems, Sullivan said.

The man then advanced toward the officer, continuing his threats, Sullivan said. The officer retreated about 40 feet, but the man continued coming toward him, Sullivan said.

When the man lunged toward the officer with the knife, the officer fired a shot, Sullivan said. He said the suspect fell to the ground, and as the officer attempted to help him, the man lunged from the ground toward the officer. The officer then shot the man a second time and disabled him.

The man was taken to University Medical Center, where he died a short time later. Investigators have not been able to identify the victim.

Sullivan said the man appeared to be a vagrant, was white and in his mid-30s. He was carrying no identification.

In accordance with department policy, the officer has been placed on administrative leave and his name will not be released for 48 hours.

Sullivan, who is chairman of the Use of Force Review Board but has no vote, said the seven-member panel has sustained only one complaint against an officer. In that case, the officer had fired at a suspect who was fleeing in a stolen vehicle. Neither the suspect nor the car were hit, he said.

Of the 24 shootings in 1991, three resulted in deaths. Sullivan said he has not compiled statistics on the number of injuries those shootings caused. In this year’s eight shootings, two people died and four were injured, he said.

Sullivan said four citizens and three department employees _ a peer, a commander and the training bureau director _ sit on the board. The citizens are chosen from a group of 27 community members.

He said the board would not review Thursday’s shooting until after a coroner’s inquest, which is held whenever someone dies at the hands of a police officer. A coroner’s jury looks into criminal liability, whereas the board considers administrative sanctions.

Leonard Duerden, an officer in the canine unit, shot a robbery suspect in the hip Monday morning after the suspect refused orders to halt, police said.

Kosol Bolick, 22, was taken to University Medical Center, where he was in fair condition Thursday.