Friday, June 28, 2024 | 4:37 p.m.
Metro Police released more details about two recent police shootings which were the first nonfatal shootings involving police this year.
There have been seven officer-involved shootings in 2024, five of which have been fatal. During the same period in 2023, there had been three shootings, none of which had been fatal. Assistant Sheriff Yasenia Yatomi stressed that while this week was filled with “a really high number of critical incidents,” that Metro officers were doing their best to protect the community and themselves.
“Our officers are out there, as the sheriff has said, in over 110-degree heat, working very hard to keep this community safe and to do amazing work,” Yatomi said during a press conference Friday.
June 25 shooting after home invasion
One man was shot by police Tuesday after breaking into two homes and attempting to stab several residents with an unidentified motive.
Matthew Tindall, 41, broke into a home just before 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, attempting to stab two residents inside. The residents fought off Tindall with furniture, who then fled to the backyard as they called police.
Police responded to the scene and made contact with the residents before hearing screams from the neighbor’s home. Officers rushed to the front door of the house and found three people and Tindall in an altercation with a man. Tindall was armed with a knife.
Bodycam footage presented by Metro Police shows Tindall drop the knife in the altercation as he wrestled with the other man and as police shouted for him to do so. When Tindall reached back down to pick up the knife, officer Miguel Rodriguez fired five shots at him, striking him at least once.
Tindall was provided first-aid until medical professionals arrived and is expected to recover. He has been charged with several counts of attempted murder and home invasion, as well as battery with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer with a deadly weapon.
One of the residents suffered from superficial stab wounds, and the others were uninjured. The shooting is the first nonfatal officer-involved shooting by Metro.
June 26 shooting outside fast food business
Another man was shot outside of a fast-food business after charging police with a knife and box cutter while yelling “shoot me,” according to bodycam footage presented by Metro on Friday.
Metro Police made contact with Robert Kunhart, 62, after they received a call from Jack in the Box employee on the 6400 block of Boulder Highway just before 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. The caller said Kunhart was threatening customers with a knife, and several officers responded to the scene and attempted to secure the front entrance and Kunhart.
Bodycam footage presented by Metro shows officers responding to Kunhart, ordering him to drop the weapons. Kunhart rushed to the front entrance of the building, during which officers fired two tasers and a nonlethal bean bag round at him with no effect. Kunhart then charged one officer, yelling “shoot me.”
Sgt. Ashley Ravelo fired one round at Kunhart, and officer Johnny Patino fired five, with at least striking Kindall. Officers provided medical aid to Kindall before medical personnel transferred him to Sunrise Hospital, where he is currently in stable condition.
Kindall was charged with two counts of attempted murder of a protected person and resisting an officer with a deadly weapon.
No officers were injured in either shooting.
