Burglary suspect jailed after being shot by Henderson police

A “known armed burglary suspect” was shot by Henderson police on Monday night during a foot pursuit, according to authorities.

The Henderson Police Department on Tuesday identified the suspect as 37-year-old Joshua Watkins, who was briefly hospitalized with nonlife-threatening injuries after the shooting. According to Watkins’ arrest report, police were conducting surveillance on Watson and had probable cause to arrest him in connection with “several recent burglaries” in Henderson.

Detectives followed Watkins into the Life Storage facility, at 1011 Stufflebeam Ave., and called for backup at about 8:50 p.m. before attempting to arrest him, the report said.

Capt. Kirk Moore said during a briefing Monday night that the detectives considered the area a “good place” to stop him, as there were “not many people here.”

Watkins was in a car, and attempted to drive away one he saw the officers, the report said. He then got out of the silver Audi A4 he was driving and ran through the storage facility.

As Watkins ran toward one of the occupied police cars, another officer saw him “reaching down with his right hand and pulling out his firearm,” the report said. The officer then shot Watkins in the leg.

“It is believed that he was hit only one time,” Moore said.

Watkins was released from the hospital and booked into the Henderson Detention Center, police said. He faces charges of assault on a protected person with a deadly weapon and being a registered ex-felon in possession of a firearm.

Watkins has an arrest history in Clark County dating back to 2005, court records show. He has pleaded guilty to felony charges including attempted burglary, receiving or transferring stolen vehicles, burglary, grand larceny and theft.

An officer also was injured during the chase, but Moore said it was not a gunshot wound and did not provide further details about the injury. Further information about the officer injured was not released in Tuesday’s statement, and the arrest report did not include details about an officer injury.

It was the Henderson Police Department’s first police shooting this year.

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter. Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Katelyn Newberg contributed to this report.