A man in police custody was shot and killed by an officer in a Las Vegas emergency room after he obtained a stun gun from a corrections officer’s bag.
Around 10:40 p.m. on September 24, the man called police saying he was suicidal and was going to “blast it out with police” with a gun when they responded, according to Fox News.
When police arrived, they found the suspect unconscious near a bus stop. Police originally attempted to book him at the Clark County Detention Center but determined he was too intoxicated to remain in jail, says Las Vegas Police Captain Kelly McMahill. The suspect was subsequently moved to the University Medical Center.
A corrections officer arrived at the hospital and placed his bag, which had a Taser, in the emergency room with the suspect. The suspect removed the stun gun from the correction officer’s bag after both officers briefly left the room.
A nurse and security guard then walked into the room where the suspect pointed the Taser at the security guard. The security guard fled the room to get help.
When the officer who brought the suspect to the hospital stepped back into the room, the suspect was pointing the Taser at the nurse. The officer fired once at the suspect as he began turning towards him with the stun gun, says McMahill. The man was declared dead shortly after.
No one involved has been identified, but the officer who shot the suspect has been placed on paid leave pending a review of the shooting by the police department and the district attorney’s office.
Officer Larry Hadfield says investigators will look into whether the corrections officer violated procedure by leaving the suspect alone and whether the shooting was justified.
Retired Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Randy Sutton says the officer was justified to shoot because the suspect had made earlier threats and could have incapacitated the security guard with the Taser, reports KTNV.
McMahill says Las Vegas officers are familiar with the suspect after dealing with him “on other suicide-type events, crisis intervention.”
Hospital spokeswoman Danita Cohen says the shooting occurred in a “contained and locked down” unit of the emergency room and briefly interrupted care for other patients. Regular operations continued around 7 a.m., says Cohen.
