Third Las Vegas police shooting in past week leaves man injured
She was lying in bed Saturday night engrossed in a book when a series of gunshots rang out, followed shortly by more gunfire.
The commotion outside her apartment forced Carolyn, who declined to give her last name, to put down Bill O'Reilly's co-authored book about John F. Kennedy's assassination.
She peered out her window and saw flashing lights from several Metropolitan Police Department cars.
Carolyn said Sunday she didn't initially know that what transpired at the Town & Country Manor III, at 5390 Boulder Highway near Harmon Avenue, was the third Las Vegas police shooting in a week.
Police said the incident occurred about 9:40 p.m. when officers shot and injured a man trying to break into a car.
Officers confronted the man, who police said then pointed his gun at them. Several officers returned fire and struck the man, who was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. He was in stable condition Sunday morning.
Police said additional information would be released today, including the suspect's name. Police did not say how many officers fired. They have been placed on routine administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Carolyn said she heard five or six gunshots, and then less than a minute later heard five or six more shots.
Saturday night's shooting was the third since Oct. 29 for Las Vegas police and the ninth of the year.
On Oct. 29, police shot and killed Ronald James Morrison after he brandished a weapon about 3 p.m. outside the Ross Dress for Less store, 2420 E. Desert Inn Road, near Eastern Avenue.
Morrison, 52, was shot by officers Michael Henry, 41, Samantha Wimmer, 24, and Michele Iacullo, 33.
He was suspected of shooting a man who might have been homeless shortly before his confrontation with police. The victim in the earlier shooting was struck in the hand and was expected to recover.
On Friday, at about 7:45 a.m., officers Russell Ellsworth, 28, and Brandon Oris, 29, shot and killed a man holding a woman at knife-point.
The man had been refusing to vacate his room at the Siegel Suites at 3825 Cambridge St., near Twain Avenue and Maryland Parkway. He had threatened to take hostages if hotel management forced him to leave.
When police responded, the man grabbed an elderly woman outside the complex and held two knives to her neck. The officers shot the man, who died at Sunrise Hospital.
The Clark County coroner's office has not released the name of the dead man.
Although Las Vegas police were involved in several shootings last week, the amount of shootings have declined compared with the past two years.
In 2010 and 2011, Las Vegas police had a combined 43 on-duty shootings.
Las Vegas police killed a record 12 people in 2011.
Deputy Chief Kathy O'Connor, who oversees the Investigative Services Division, said last week the lower numbers this year are partially the result of a new use-of-force policy started earlier this year to reduce shootings and improve the department's relationship with the community.
The policy, which emphasizes that officers "respect the value of every human life" and advises officers to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations, is part of a six-month review by the agency in the wake of several controversial shootings and an investigative series by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
As for Carolyn, Saturday night's violence outside her apartment, and an increase of what she called questionable residents moving in since the economic downturn, have forced her to reconsider where she has called home for the past few years.
The diminutive woman, who lives alone, said things might have gotten too dangerous.
"It used to be a pretty nice place to live," Carolyn said of her complex that advertises daily, weekly and monthly rates. "I'm thinking about moving."
Contact reporter Mike Blasky at
mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.
Contact reporter Antonio Planas at
aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.
