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Man with knife shot, killed by Las Vegas police outside Target

Updated March 14, 2024 - 10:25 am

A man who allegedly robbed a person at knifepoint Wednesday night outside a Target store on Maryland Parkway was shot and killed by police after he refused to put down a knife and lunged at an officer.

At 7:41 p.m., Las Vegas police dispatch received a call about a suspect with a knife who had robbed a person outside the southeast Las Vegas store at 4001 Maryland Parkway, said Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Joshua Martinez.

When officers arrived, they located the suspect who was still armed with the knife and gave verbal commands for him to drop the weapon, but he refused to comply, Martinez said.

“The suspect charged at the officer, causing the officer to discharge his duty weapon, striking the suspect,” he said.

Officers took the wounded man into custody and provided medical attention, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Martinez said.

The officer who shot the suspect will be identified within 48 hours, and the sheriff or a designated person with the department will provide additional details about the officer-involved shooting, he said.

A section of East Flamingo Road from Maryland Parkway to University Center Drive, in the area of the shooting, remained closed to traffic as of 10:45 p.m.

Contact Jeff Burbank at jburbank@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0382. Follow him @JeffBurbank2 on X.

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