Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Police: Man opened fire with rifle before sniper shot him

Man Killed By Police at Standoff

Steve Marcus

Investigators confer in a common area near the scene of an officer-involved shooting Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, at the Eagle Trace apartment complex near Nellis Air Force Base.

Updated Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015 | 4:45 p.m.

Man Killed By Police at Standoff

Investigators confer in a common area near the scene of an officer-involved shooting Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, at the Eagle Trace apartment complex near Nellis Air Force Base. Launch slideshow »

A man dressed in military-style clothing and armed with a rifle was shot and killed by a Metro Police sniper today after he fired at officers and into an apartment believed to have people in it, authorities said.

Officers were dispatched to Eagle Trace apartments in the 5300 block of East Craig Road, near Las Vegas Boulevard North, after receiving a call about 12:20 a.m. of an armed, suicidal man, police said.

The 43-year-old man made several statements that he wanted to kill the officers and fired multiple rounds before SWAT officers and negotiators were called in, police said.

As officers attempted to evacuate surrounding apartments, the man came out of his apartment a number of times and fired shots, police said.

When SWAT officers arrived, the man came out again and started firing into what was believed to be an occupied apartment, police said. A SWAT sniper immediately shot the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Police didn't immediately identify the man who died at about 5 a.m. and didn't say if anyone was actually in the apartment the man shot into on the second floor of the complex.

Officer Larry Hadfield, a police spokesman, said the department would answer no more questions about the case until at least Friday.

Capt. Matt McCarthy said in a brief recorded video posted online that the rifle-toting gunman fired several times to keep patrol officers from evacuating neighbors and to get tactical teams to back off after police were called to the complex.

McCarthy said officers found the man dressed in "military-type clothing" and threatening suicide.

Negotiators tried to persuade the man to surrender. McCarthy said it wasn't until the man began shooting into the apartment that the SWAT team sniper fired, striking the man once and killing him.

McCarthy said the incident was under departmental review. The name of the officer involved was being withheld for 48 hours according to department policy.

Officer Miguel Garcia said investigators are looking at what triggered the violence.

The shooting was the second involving Las Vegas police this year.

James A. Nelson, 21, was shot and wounded by a rookie patrol officer late Feb. 9, after police said he pulled a handgun and pointed it at another officer during a scuffle at an apartment complex in southeast Las Vegas. Police said they wanted to question Nelson following a report of a disturbance at a nearby residence.

Eight people died in 16 Las Vegas police officer-involved shootings in 2014, and eight were wounded, Hadfield said. All were armed when they were shot, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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