Bellagio fountain gunman ordered to undergo mental health treatment

A man who waved a gun in front of tourists and police outside the Bellagio was ordered to undergo mental health treatment Thursday.

In an agreement with prosecutors, Kahleal Black, 21, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of resisting an officer with a firearm. District Judge Michael Villani ordered black to serve five years’ probation, during which time the case would be transferred to mental health court, where Black would be treated for schizophrenia.

In January, Black was arrested after numerous people called 911 about a man brandishing a handgun in front of several passers-by and motorists near the Bellagio fountains.

A married couple told police that the man pointed the gun at their heads and pulled the trigger three times. They heard three clicks, according to a police report.

Metro officer George Smith arrived to confront Black about five minutes later, and when orders to put his hands up were ignored, Smith fired two shots that missed Black. One shot narrowly missed a homeless man, going only through the shoulder of his jacket, and the other shot ricocheted off a column and grazed a 4-year-old boy who was sitting on his father’s shoulders to watch the fountain show.

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