Man armed with knife, shot by police, was drug user
Friends liked to say Tory "Rob" Manvilla's small stature and big personality reminded them of actor Joe Pesci.
"They always used to kid him about it, but he sort of embraced it," recalled Sherrie Klute, minister of the Stained Glass Wedding Chapel downtown, where Manvilla worked as a handbiller.
Manvilla always joked that he "wanted to go out in flames," just like a character Pesci might play in a movie, but Klute said she never thought it would happen that way.
Manvilla, 49, was shot and killed by Las Vegas police officers Tuesday night after barging into a southeast valley home with a kitchen knife and locking himself in a bathroom.
Officers Juan Guzman and Michael Henry each fired one shot after Manvilla reportedly charged them with the knife at 4786 Fairfax Ave., near Mountain Vista Street and Tropicana Avenue.
Witnesses said Manvilla did not threaten anyone, but was behaving erratically, as though he were on drugs. He seemed incoherent and was convinced someone with a gun was chasing him, witnesses said.
On Friday, Klute said Manvilla was a known drug addict, although he'd been trying to kick the habit.
She also said Manvilla's rants about a man trying to kill him made sense -- at least a little.
Klute said Manvilla was worried about his former roommate, another downtown handbiller.
Manvilla had spent at least a month in jail on a domestic violence charge, and he believed the former roommate had framed him because Manvilla knew something about the mysterious overdose deaths of two women who did drugs with the man, Klute said.
"He told everybody this," Klute said. "Anybody who would listen."
A third downtown handbiller, who asked to remain anonymous, said Manvilla approached him days after he was released from jail about a week ago, and told the same story.
Manvilla suspected foul play in the deaths, and wanted to go to the police, but was arrested for domestic battery for hitting a woman his roommate was dating, he said.
"He said, 'I'm really concerned that something's going to happen to me because of (the roommate),' " said the handbiller.
"He (Manvilla) was a crack user, so I took that into consideration ,'' the handbiller said. "But he definitely had something in his mind about somebody being after him. If he was on drugs when he was shot, well, to be paranoid enough to run into someone's house, I'm sure that was a possible side effect."
Las Vegas police confirmed Manvilla's Dec. 10 misdemeanor domestic battery arrest, but could find no record of Manvilla filing any reports about his former roommate. It's unclear whether any women ever overdosed at their apartment.
Manvilla was the uncle of Cheryl Luell, owner of the Las Vegas Gardens of Love chapel, which lost its license in 2007.
After it closed, Manvilla went back to Wisconsin to visit family. He eventually returned to Las Vegas, where he hoped for a better future, she said.
"He was really trying to restart his life," she said.
Klute said Manvilla was a "sweet little guy" with a great personality, and a good employee.
When Manvilla worked for Klute, he'd help her out with various tasks, such as helping the homeless around the holidays.
"Everybody liked him," she said.
He'd peel potatoes, help with the turkey, and do anything he could, she said.
His struggles with drugs were well documented among his friends, she said. But she was adamant that Manvilla was trying to improve his life.
"He was making the commitment, I think," she said. "I don't know what was in his system" the night he died, but "obviously, something might have been and that's a shame."
Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.
