Pellet gun-toting man shot by Metro Police is critical

By Dave Toplikar

Published Thursday, May 16, 2013 | 7:42 a.m.

Updated Thursday, May 16, 2013 | 4:30 p.m.

A 29-year-old Las Vegas man was still in critical condition Thursday afternoon after being shot multiple times overnight by a Metro Police officer.

The man, Miguel Alejandro Martinez, who was brandishing a pellet gun that was a replica of a Colt .45 handgun, was taken to UMC Trauma Center after the incident.

Police have not yet released the name of the officer, who has been placed on routine administrative leave. The officer's name is expected to be released after 48 hours. The incident is under investigation.

The shooting took place shortly after 1:31 a.m. Thursday as Metro officers were responding to the 1800 block of East Charleston Boulevard to investigate reports that a suspect was firing a weapon at a residence.

The first officer arrived about three minutes later and located Martinez in an alley behind the residence.

When the officer attempted to contact Martinez, who police say uses the street name of "Psycho," Martinez turned toward the officer as he pulled what was believed to be a semi-automatic handgun from his waistband.

The officer then fired several rounds from his handgun, striking and disabling Martinez. The officer was not hurt in the confrontation.

Police said the preliminary investigation revealed the weapon Martinez pointed at the officer was a replica of a Colt .45-caliber semi-automatic compact handgun, which fires pellets instead of live rounds.

Police said Martinez was suspected of being involved in a disturbance at the same location about seven hours prior to the shooting.

Police said they received a 911 call about 6:15 p.m. Wednesday from a man who said his roommate was shooting at him.

Martinez's criminal history includes multiple arrests for felony narcotics and stolen vehicle-related charges, as well as minor traffic-related offenses. Police released a booking photo of Martinez from a previous arrest.

This is the fifth shooting this year involving a Metro officer.

Police are asking anyone with any information about the incident to contact Metro's homicide section at 828-3521 or Crime Stoppers by phone at 385-5555 or on the Internet at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.