Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Metro identifies officers who fatally shot man armed with knife

Officer-involved shooting

Jackie Valley

Metro Police investigate after officers fatally shot 23-year-old Rafael Alonso Olivas on July 14, 2011, in the western Las Vegas Valley.

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Metro Police identified two officers Saturday who fatally shot a 23-year-old man armed with a butcher knife Thursday morning in a western Las Vegas Valley neighborhood.

The officers were identified as Christopher Grivas, 30, and David Hager, 33. Both have been with Metro since June 2005 and both are assigned to the Patrol Division in Metro's Northwest Area Command.

Police responded at 6:46 a.m. Thursday to the report of a domestic disturbance in the 7700 block of Musical Lane near the intersection of Firestone Drive and Westcliff Drive. That location is southwest of the Buffalo Drive and Summerlin Parkway interchange.

Metro Police Capt. Patrick Neville said a woman reported she was having an argument with her son.

Police arrived and found the man, identified as Rafael Olivas, with a butcher knife walking southbound on Firestone Drive. Neville said the man approached officers after authorities made several commands for him to stop.

The officers discharged non-lethal rounds at Olivas, striking him four times, but he continued toward officers with the knife, police said. Officers then fired multiple gunshots at the man after Neville said officers feared for their lives. Olivas was pronounced dead at University Medical Center.

Neville reported at the scene of the incident Thursday that three officers fired their weapons, but police on Saturday said there were two officers involved in the shooting.

The officers were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in cases of officer-involved shootings.

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