Shooting near Route 160, I-15 related to domestic situation

A man who fired on two Las Vegas police officers with a shotgun after wounding a woman near Interstate 15 and state Route 160 was shot and critically injured by police Thursday afternoon.

The incident began with a lover's quarrel between a couple in a sport utility vehicle and escalated to multiple shots being fired near a busy thoroughfare. The gunman also fired at least one round at passing motorists, police said.

Thursday's shooting in the south valley was the Metropolitan Police Department's second officer-involved shooting in less than 48 hours.

Department spokesman Bill Cassell said the incident began at 2:30 p.m. Three men and one woman were traveling north on I-15 in a Dodge Durango when one of the men and the woman began arguing. The two were in a relationship, Cassell said.

The other two men in the car tried to defuse the argument, which was quickly spiraling out of control. At least one was punched by the suspect, police said.

The driver stopped the vehicle on the exit for westbound state Route 160.

Cassell said that's when the suspect reached for a shotgun, prompting the three other passengers to flee. The suspect took aim at the woman and shot her at least once.

She was able to get help from nearby construction workers who flagged down two Las Vegas police motorcycle officers.

The officers then made their way toward the shooting suspect.

"When they got to the scene, they were confronted by the suspect who was armed with a shotgun," Cassell said.

One officer fired at the suspect, police said. Both officers involved have been placed on routine administrative leave, Cassell said. Investigators on Thursday evening were still assessing how many rounds were fired by the officers and the suspect.

The woman and the suspect were transferred to an area hospital. Cassell said the woman was critically injured but is expected to survive.

The wounded suspect resisted arrest and was subdued with a stun gun.

The names and conditions of the suspect and the victim were not released Thursday night.

"This is the outgrowth of a domestic situation," Cassell said.

The other two men who had been in the vehicle ran to a nearby Jack in the Box where they were detained and interviewed by police. Cassell said he did not anticipate that charges would be brought against them.

The shooting and police investigation led to road closures that snarled traffic in the area for hours.

The names of the officers who fired their weapons will be released 48 hours after the incident, per department policy.

The unidentified gunman is the second suspect shot by Las Vegas police this week. Tuesday night, police said knife-wielding Tory Manvilla, 49, barged into a southeast valley home about 8:45 p.m. near Mountain Vista Street and Tropicana Avenue. Winnie Ellis, 60, told the Review-Journal Wednesday that Manvilla made his way into her home through an unlocked front door He was screaming: "He's got a gun, he's after me," Ellis said.

She said Manvilla looked like he was on drugs.

Manvilla ran past her son and locked himself in a bathroom adjoining a master bedroom.

Police quickly arrived at the residence, and soon about 20 officers were packed into her 1,200 square-foot home.

After a while, Ellis said, police began filing out. She asked one of the officers whether the man was OK, and the officer told her he was dead.

Ellis was upset when she learned of the shooting. She wondered whether police couldn't have handled the situation differently. She said the man needed help. Ellis said she never heard any shots.

The first officer-involved shooting of the year occurred Jan. 12 at Shelter Islands Apartments on Swenson Street and Twain Avenue. Sgt. Darrin Densley, a 22-year-police veteran, fired on Leonard Greer, 22, who was in an Oldsmobile Bravada.

Greer had refused to exit his vehicle. The officer demanded proof he lived there and Greer said he had a rent receipt and would get it out of his pocket.

With his left hand on the steering wheel, Greer said he used his right hand to pull it out of his pocket. He then put his right hand, clutching the receipt, back on the steering wheel. That's when the officer fired. The bullet glanced off the window and buried into the driver's side door.

Densley also was placed on routine paid leave.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@review journal.com or 702-383-4638.