Man killed by deputy in Amargosa Valley identified

Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill identified the machete-wielding man who was shot and killed by a deputy Wednesday morning in Amargosa Valley.

In a video briefing posted on the Nye County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page Saturday, McGill said that Troy Plascencia, 36, walked toward Deputy Michael Short, 36, with the machete and ignored commands to drop the machete before Short fatally shot Plascencia.

McGill said in the video that the sheriff’s office received a call Wednesday at 9:49 a.m. “in reference to a possible suicidal subject” that McGill identified as Plascencia.

“The caller told dispatch that Troy was tearing up the inside of the trailer and that he was in possession of a sword,” McGill said in the video. McGill said the machete had an 18-inch blade.

The video posted to Facebook also featured what McGill said was 911 dispatch audio in which a woman who described herself as Plascencia’s girlfriend was heard telling a dispatcher about the situation, saying, “My boyfriend says he’s going to kill himself and I’m locked out of the house. He’s inside.”

“He’s going crazy inside the house right now,” the woman also said in the audio. “I can hear him slamming stuff.”

After the woman said, “Troy, please let me in,” a man’s voice could be heard yelling “Go!” in the background of the call. The dispatcher then told the woman, “Ma’am, can you step away from him?”

Deputy Michael Short arrived on scene at 10:23 a.m. along with two Amargosa Valley volunteer paramedics, McGill said.

In body camera footage shown in the video posted on Facebook Saturday morning, the man identified as Plascencia can be seen falling down the steps. He then approaches Short while holding the machete and what appears to be a bottle of alcohol.

“You better shoot me, dog,” he told Short in the video.

According to McGill, who in the video briefing gives a rundown of what preceded the shooting, Plascencia was walking toward Short while holding the machete when Short fatally shot Plascencia.

In the body camera footage, the man identified as Plascencia, holding the bottle in one hand and the machete in the other, slowly walks toward Short. Short raises his Glock 9 mm handgun and aims it at Short, and Short could be heard saying “Stay back” and “Put it down” multiple times and “Come on, dude, I don’t want to hurt you.” Plascencia holds up the machete to his chest and head.

“At 10:24 and three seconds, Plascencia again says, quote, chest or the head, end quote, as he is still walking toward Deputy Short,” McGill said in the briefing. “Deputy Short fires two shots in rapid succession and Plascencia falls to the ground.”

The video briefing released Saturday morning did not include body camera footage of the actual shooting.

In a previous Facebook post on Wednesday about the shooting, the sheriff’s office had said the “subject reportedly charged the Deputy with a large knife and the Deputy was forced to fire.”

Short has been placed on administrative leave with pay while the district attorney reviews the evidence, McGill said.

If you are thinking about suicide, or are worried about a loved one or friend, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Lifeline network at 988. Live chat is available at 988lifeline.org.