FBI agent likely struck by shrapnel while arresting murder suspect

An FBI agent was likely struck by shrapnel, but wasn’t shot, while arresting a California murder suspect Tuesday.

Authorities initially said the unidentified agent was shot in his bulletproof vest Tuesday night in the 1700 block of Karen Avenue, near Sahara Avenue and Maryland Parkway.

The agent was working with the Criminal Apprehension Team, a local fugitive task force consisting of Las Vegas, federal and Henderson officers. He was struck when the suspect, 37-year-old murder suspect Rene Dendaas , fired a gun through a front door as officers prepared to use a battering ram just outside a house, police said.

A metal object was found lodged in the agent’s vest after Dendaas fired the shots, but it’s unclear whether the metal was a bullet fragment.

The information was corrected Wednesday by the FBI.

The agent was not injured and continued to participate in the raid, which developed into a lengthy standoff.

Dendaas was a known gang member wanted on a murder warrant from San Bernardino County. He is a suspect in two execution-style killings. He surrendered hours later after the house was filled with tear gas. Dendaas was not injured. He was booked at Clark County Detention Center on a fugitive warrant.

Earlier this year, an FBI agent working with the task force was shot by 32-year-old Javier Reyes, a violent suspect wanted on domestic violence, home invasion and assault charges.

The agent returned fire, killing Reyes, in the February shooting. The FBI never released the agent’s name.