Officer’s gun fired during traffic stop at Las Vegas elementary school
A Clark County School District police officer’s gun accidentally discharged Thursday morning during a traffic stop in front of an east Las Vegas Valley elementary school, officials said.
About 8:50 a.m., a Clark County School District Police Department officer stopped a black Nissan on the 5600 block of East Cherokee Avenue, next to George Harris Elementary School, school police spokesman Bryan Zink said during a briefing outside the scene.
The man driving the car requested to speak with a supervisor, and a sergeant then “approached the vehicle and interacted with the driver,” Zink said.
“The driver at that time decided to roll up his window and drive away,” Zink said. “At that time, the vehicle made contact with the sergeant, knocking him to the ground and unfortunately the officer’s service weapon was discharged.”
Police do not believe the driver was hurt when the gun discharged, he said. The sergeant suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
Investigators were continuing to search for the driver on Thursday afternoon, and Zink requested the man come forward “to give his side of the story.” He could face charges related to the car knocking the sergeant to the ground, he said.
It was unclear if there was any altercation between the driver and the sergeant before he drove off, Zink said. The elementary school will remain in a “soft lock-down” until police leave the area, but classes were not affected.
Anyone with information about the traffic stop can contact school police at 702-799-5411.
Further information was not immediately available.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Glenn Puit contributed to this report.
