Man who killed himself after standoff with police identified
Las Vegas police have identified the man who fatally shot himself after an hourslong barricade Saturday.
He was 23-year-old Jose Hernandez, police said.
Hernandez’s mother called police around 10:50 a.m. Saturday to report that her son was threatening her with a handgun and destroying items in a house near Colton Avenue and Sandy Lane, Assistant Sheriff Chris Darcy said in a video briefing Tuesday afternoon. Officers arrived and found Hernandez walking outside with his hands in his pockets.
Darcy said the officers told Hernandez to stop, but he pulled out a handgun and fired at least four shots. He jumped a fence into the backyard of 3693 E. Colton Ave., where he sat on a couch with the gun to his head, Darcy said.
SWAT and crisis negotiators arrived to handle the scene and talked to Hernandez for more than four hours. They had a plan to use “less-lethal tactics,” including flash-bang grenades and pepper balls, to take Hernandez into custody, Darcy said, but Hernandez shot himself in the head.
He was declared deceased at the scene. Hernandez suffered from mental health issues, Darcy said.
“This event serves as a stark reminder that mental illness can drive people to harm themselves or others,” he said. “If you are having suicidal thoughts, I ask you or your family to seek health before actions that cannot be reversed occur.”
The case is still under investigation, police said. Anyone with information can contact the Metropolitan Police Department at 702-828-8452 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255.
Contact Alexis Egeland at aegeland@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexis_egeland on Twitter.