Henderson Police vehicles are shown at the scene of an officer-involved shooting Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019.
Monday, Dec. 9, 2019 | 8:13 p.m.
Suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest, the pizzeria employee called 911, telling an operator that he had been shot and was dying.
Henderson Police responded to the call on Nov. 20, engaging in a shootout with the teenager suspected of earlier shooting the restaurant worker. The suspect was shot and killed by police.
Police on Monday released the 911 recording and body-cam footage of the incident.
A panic alarm in a freezer at the Pizza Hut, 1280 W. Warm Springs Road, alerted police of an emergency at 7:13 p.m., Henderson Deputy Chief David Burns said.
Soon after, the employee called to say that he was shot. “Come quick…I’m dying,” he’s heard saying from the freezer.
The police body-cam footage shows officers tending to the victim in the back of the restaurant.
Police received information from a witness that a tall and slim man, who was gloved and wearing all black, was walking in the area, and he was armed.
A pair of officers encountered a man, later identified as Kenneth Simeus Jr., 18, “in the middle” of Marks Street, near Warm Springs, Burns said. He matched the description, including the gloves.
Officers tried to get him to drop his gun and turn himself in, but Simeus instead fired five rounds in their direction, Burns said. They shot back, and struck him, Burns said.
The body-camera that recorded the shooting only captured officer commands and the sound of gunshots since it was dark out.
Simeus later died at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Burns said. Investigators recovered two guns, which had been taken in burglaries in Henderson and Las Vegas, Burns said.
No officers were injured. Meanwhile, the victim, 35, who was initially in critical condition, has been stabilized, police said.
The two officers who fired their guns were identified as Officer Cody Watts and Officer Robert Hennebeul. They were both placed in routine paid administrative leave while the investigation continued, police said.
