Charges dropped against man tied to police shooting; officer identified

By Cara McCoy

Published Monday, March 29, 2010 | 11:02 a.m.

Updated Monday, March 29, 2010 | 5:25 p.m.

Charges were dropped Monday against a man accused of being in a stolen car shortly before a second man who was also seen in the vehicle shot and wounded a Metro Police officer. Also today, police released the name of the officer who fatally shot the gunman.

Marvin Lee Wilson, 45, was ordered released from custody on charges stemming from the incident last week in which Officer Mike Madland, 31, was shot in the leg. Wilson was being held on counts of possession of a stolen vehicle and resisting a police officer.

Jail records indicate he is still being held on an unrelated petit larceny case stemming from the theft of cash from an adult bookstore. He has pleaded not guilty in that case and is being held on $100,000 bail.

The man who was with Wilson last Tuesday, 26-year-old Damon Beal, was shot and killed by Madland’s partner. Police said Beal was shot twice in the head.

The officer who shot Beal was identified Monday as Officer Christopher Le Blanc, who has been with Metro Police since November 2001 and is assigned to the saturation team.

Madland was shot twice after pursuing Beal into the backyard of a residence on Dolores Drive. One bullet struck an artery in his leg; another hit his bulletproof vest, which it didn’t penetrate.

Madland is recovering from critical injuries, police said. He has undergone multiple surgeries at University Medical Center.

On Friday, prosecutors requested an additional day to file formal charges against Wilson because the investigation was ongoing. He appeared again Monday morning in Las Vegas Justice Court, where the case was dismissed.

Wilson was arrested after officers performed a Pursuit Immobilization Technique, or PIT, maneuver to stop a Mercedes Benz that had been reported stolen.

After the car came to a stop, police said Wilson and Beal took off running. Officers apprehended Wilson near the vehicle. Beal, with Madland in pursuit, jumped a wall at a residence on Dolores, where the gunfire was exchanged, police said.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office on Monday said a formal inquest into Beal’s death hasn't been scheduled. An inquest is a formal inquiry in front of a jury to determine facts surrounding a death when law enforcement officers are involved.