NHP outlines shooting in which trooper’s badge deflected bullet

By Kailyn Brown, Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 | 12:23 p.m.

"Shield" is a slang term for a law enforcement officer's badge, but it took on a literal meaning last week for Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Shawn Peckham.

In a news conference today, NHP Chief Dennis Osborn said a gunshot fired at Peckham during a traffic stop Friday along Boulder Highway hit him in the badge, possibly saving him from injury. Osborn said he'd never heard of an officer being hit in the badge until after the incident involving Peckham — which happened the same day an officer in Huntington Beach, Calif., also took a bullet to the badge.

Although Peckham was wearing a bulletproof vest, Osborn said he felt "fortunate that (the bullet) hit the badge in this case."

Osborn gave the following account of the shooting, which occurred after Peckham pulled over a Cadillac sedan shortly after midnight near Desert Inn Road for having an improper license plate:

One of the car's occupants, Matthew Gibbon, 41, of Las Vegas, had received a ride in the vehicle after agreeing to give methamphetamine to another occupant of the car, a 23-year-old man. The younger man's mother was driving, possibly unaware of the drug deal.

When Peckham tried to pull over the car, Gibbon told the woman to keep driving. She refused and pulled over.

Peckham approached the car and collected personal information from the occupants, none of whom had identification. As Peckham was conducting the records check, Gibbon got out of the car and started running. He had a handgun in his right hand and a backpack in the other, Osborn said.

Peckham positioned himself near the back of his vehicle told Gibbon to stop, Osborn said, but Gibbon turned and fired two rounds at the trooper with a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol. One shot hit Peckham' badge, and the other missed.

Peckham shot back from about 50 yards away, firing 11 rounds and striking Gibbon once in the forehead and once in the hand, Osborn said. Gibbon was pronounced dead at the scene.

The two occupants, who remained in the vehicle during the incident and asked Peckham if he was OK after the shooting, have been cooperating with authorities and were not charged, Osborn said.

An undisclosed amount of methamphetamine was recovered at the scene, Osborn said.

Gibbon had a criminal history with felonies in New Jersey, Florida and Nevada for charges including burglary, theft, alluding police and a DUI, Osborn said. Osborn said authorities were investigating how Gibbon, who was legally prohibited from owning a gun, obtained one.

The shooting remains under investigation by Las Vegas Metro Police. Peckham has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.