Dead bank robbery suspect identified

A man whom police said shot himself to death at a southwest Las Vegas apartment complex after a shootout with Metro Police officers Friday has been identified as David Coyle, 35, of Las Vegas.

The incident began about 4 p.m., police said, when a man armed with a handgun robbed the Bank of America branch at 4800 W. Tropicana Ave.

Officers followed leads and evidence to the Pointes apartment complex, 5010 Indian River Drive, where the officers approached a man matching the description of the bank robber. The man began running, police said. When an officer gave chase, the suspect turned and fired one shot from a pistol, police said.

Officer Eric Barros returned fire at the man as he chased him through the complex, near Decatur Boulevard and Flamingo Road, police said.

As other officers responded and closed in on the man, he shot and killed himself, police said. No officers were injured in the shooting.

Officers later found a 12-year-old girl swimming at a nearby apartment complex in the 5500 block of Lindell Road who had suffered a minor scratch from one of the bullets fired in the confrontation.

The girl suffered a small cut on her upper arm and found the bullet that struck her in the pool, police said.

The bullet is believed to be the one fired from the suspect's gun when he committed suicide, police said.

Ballistics tests will be conducted on the bullet to determine if it was fired from the suspect's gun.

archive