Bodycam shows man pointed gun at police before fatal shooting

A man fatally shot by police at a Las Vegas mobile home park on Monday night pointed a gun at officers after a 30-minute standoff, police said Thursday.

Michael Allensworth, 41, of Las Vegas was shot by officers James Villareal, 27, Johnathan Cole, 25, and Beau Cooley, 31, according to the Clark County coroner’s office and the Metropolitan Police Department.

Assistant Sheriff Andrew Walsh said Thursday that officers initially responded to a 5:22 p.m. burglary call at the Riviera Mobile Home Park, 2038 Palm St.

“There had been an interaction the day before, and it appears that Allensworth came back to the trailer the next day to have a confrontation,” Walsh said.

Police arrived and attempted to de-escalate the situation, Walsh said, adding that Allensworth had pointed the gun at a homeowner before the 911 call. Allensworth, who lived in the area, did not drop the gun and told officers he was “going to kill a cop today.”

Body camera footage released at the Thursday briefing showed officers yelling for Allensworth to drop the gun, which he was holding at his side.

“Mike, drop it! We’re here to help you!” an officer yells.

Eventually, he pointed the gun at officers and they shot him. A total of 11 shots were fired by the three officers, Walsh said. Allensworth was taken to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Allensworth’s gun was a starter pistol that he’d filled with real bullets, Walsh said.

“That’s what’s unique about this case, is that he’d actually jammed two .22-caliber rounds into the cylinder which typically holds blanks,” Walsh said. “Speaking to some firearms experts, we believe it probably would’ve exploded had he pulled the trigger.”

Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.