Court hearing rescheduled for man shot by Henderson police

By Dave Toplikar

Published Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 | 9:46 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 | 1:35 p.m.

The man shot by Henderson police two weeks ago is expected to make his first court appearance next week in Henderson Justice Court.

Tony McNeill, 53, who is facing felony charges after pointing a rifle at Henderson officers, had been scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning, but the hearing was delayed because he is still in Sunrise Hospital, according to a court marshal. McNeill, who was wounded in the chest, was taken to the hospital for surgery after the shooting.

Justice of the Peace Stephen George has rescheduled McNeill's felony arraignment for 9 a.m. Jan. 17. It was the third time the hearing has been rescheduled.

McNeill is currently under guard at the hospital. The judge set his bail last week at $24,000. He is in custody on charges of three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and three felony counts of discharging a firearm at a structure.

Henderson police reported that the shootout occurred after McNeill’s mother, Charlene McNeill, contacted police Dec. 26 after hearing gunshots. She told officers that her son, who lived with her and and her husband, had a gun and was pointing it at himself.

The police report says Henderson Police Officers John Bellow, Kevin Perkins and Christopher Gerhard responded to the home in Country Hills condominiums at 698 South Racetrack Road, near Boulder Highway.

When the officers arrived, they stationed themselves about 30 feet away from the front door of the residence, the police report said.

Perkins said he saw the armed man come out of the condo holding a rifle, with its barrel pointed toward the ground. He then told the man to drop the weapon and surrender, but the man raised the rifle and pointed it toward the officers, the arrest report said.

The three officers all fired toward McNeil, the report said. They are all on routine paid administrative leave during the investigation, police said.