Coroner identifies 63-year-old man fatally shot by NLV police

The Clark County coroner’s office has identified a 63-year-old man who was shot and killed this week by a North Las Vegas police officer after an hourslong standoff during which the man threatened to kill himself.

Robert Blaine Wenman, of North Las Vegas, allegedly approached officers “with his gun raised,” prompting the officer to shoot him, the North Las Vegas Police Department said in a statement Tuesday. The coroner’s office ruled his death a homicide due to a gunshot wound of the abdomen.

Just before 4 p.m. Monday, officers were called to Craig Ranch Regional Park, 628 W. Craig Road, after a report of a man with a gunshot wound, police said Tuesday. But when police arrived, the man “pulled out a gun and threatened” to kill himself.

Police spokesman Alex Cuevas said Tuesday that Wenman had waved someone down and asked them to call 911, saying that he had shot himself. It was unclear how injured the man was before police arrived.

Negotiators spoke with the man for several hours, but he eventually “stopped communicating with officers,” the department said. He didn’t put the gun down during the negotiations, during which people at the park were evacuated.

Cuevas said the officer shot Wenman about 7:30 p.m.

The department did not publicize the shooting Monday, and it remained unclear Wednesday if the officers were wearing body cameras.

The officer who shot Wenman will be identified within 72 hours of the shooting, police said Tuesday. The officer was placed on routine paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-2040. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.