Police kill burglary suspect in residential neighborhood

Police shot and killed a burglary suspect who they said pointed a revolver at officers in a residential neighborhood near Boulder Highway and Twain Avenue on Wednesday morning.

The incident started about 10:30 a.m., when 44-year-old Roberto Martinez saw a man he didn't recognize walk up to his neighbor's house in the 3800 block of Florrie Avenue.

Martinez said he watched the man, who appeared to be in his mid-20s, try to open his neighbor's front door. The stranger then drove away in a white Ford minivan. Several minutes later, the man returned, picked up a brick from his neighbor's garden and broke a panel of the front door. He was then able to open the door and entered the house.

Martinez called 911. "I try to be a good neighbor," he said.

As he was on the phone, he saw the man leave the house carrying several objects.

"He's leaving right now!" Martinez recalled telling the 911 call-taker.

The suspect drove away in the minivan. Moments later, several police vehicles sped past Martinez's house, he said.

Las Vegas police pursued the man for about two blocks until he crashed the minivan in the 3600 block of Florrie, said Las Vegas police Capt. James Dillon.

Valentin Hernandez, 28, said he saw the minivan hit a parked RV on Florrie before slamming into a tree. The minivan then caught fire, he said.

The suspect, who was holding a revolver to his head, got out of the minivan, Dillon said.

The officers ordered him to drop the gun, but he began walking toward the officers and pointed the gun at them, Dillon said.

Two officers each fired one round. Police were unaware if both officers or just one had shot the suspect, Dillon said. Police said they did not think the suspect fired his gun.

The suspect was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where he died.

Authorities found televisions and other property in the back of the van. Dillon said the property was suspected to be stolen.

Dillon said one of the officers involved in the shooting joined the department in 1999; the other joined in 2000. Both worked at the Southeast Area Command. The two officers were placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation into the shooting. The department is withholding the names of the officers for 48 hours after the shooting, per department policy.

This is the ninth Las Vegas officer-involved shooting this year. Eight of those have been fatal. By the same time last year, there had been 23 shootings involving Las Vegas police.

In all of last year, there were at least 25 shootings involving Las Vegas police; nine of them were fatal.

In 2005, there were 12 shootings involving Las Vegas police, nine of which were fatal. In 2004, there were 21, 10 of which were fatal.

Review-Journal writer Francis McCabe contributed to this report.