Person fatally shot by Las Vegas police during traffic stop
A Las Vegas police gang detective shot and killed a person Wednesday night during a traffic stop northeast of the valley.
The Metropolitan Police Department said about 8:40 p.m., the detective was in an unmarked police car and saw a vehicle driving “erratically” on northbound Interstate 15 near Cheyenne Avenue. The detective followed the vehicle and requested a marked patrol car to perform a vehicle stop.
The detective in the unmarked vehicle followed the car into the far northeast valley, where it pulled off the highway and onto Apex Road, police said.
Here is the scene as media can see of an “officer-involved” shooting tonight. No details at all. I am at Apex Road west of I-15. LVMPD says there will be a news briefing. pic.twitter.com/WU45tb9d2O
— Dalton LaFerney 🤖 (@daltonlaferney) April 30, 2020
Metro said the detective then “conducted a vehicle stop using his emergency equipment,” and the vehicle pulled over onto the side of the road. The driver got out of the car and “produced” a firearm.
“A short time later,” the detective shot the driver, police said. Additional officers arrived “shortly after” and began administering first aid.
It was not clear how long into the traffic stop the driver pulled out the weapon.
Metro Capt. Nichole Splinter, who briefed media from the scene around midnight, declined to take questions.
Police said the driver was pronounced dead at University Medical Center. He will be identified by the Clark County coroner’s office.
No further information was immediately available.
Wednesday marked the sixth police shooting involving Metro officers this year and the second fatal police shooting, according to records maintained by the Review-Journal.
Contact Dalton LaFerney at dlaferney@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0288. Follow @daltonlaferney on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Katelyn Newberg contributed to this report.