Las Vegas police identify man shot, killed by officer
Las Vegas police have identified the man an officer shot and killed in the south valley Saturday evening.
Assistant Sheriff Tom Roberts said officer David Nesheiwat shot and killed Phillip Pitts, 41, who was holding his wife and pointing a gun at her outside a store at 780 E. Pyle Ave, near Maryland Parkway and Cactus Avenue. Pitts’ wife was also struck in the gunfire.
Roberts said one of Nesheiwat’s rounds went through Pitts and hit the woman. Pitts did not fire his gun.
They were both taken to University Medical Center, where the man died. No officers were hurt, police said. The woman underwent surgery and is expected to survive.
The couple’s 10-year-old daughter was standing nearby, and an officer got her to safety. Police then commanded Pitts to drop his gun and asked the woman to try to free herself from his grasp. An officer could be heard in body camera footage pleading with the Pitts to drop the gun.
Nesheiwat quickly arrived and told Pitts to drop the gun before firing four shots, police said.
Saturday’s shooting was the Metropolitan Police Department’s 21st shooting of the year. It marked the 10th time this year police shot someone to death.
Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Rio Lacanlale contributed to this story.
