Las Vegas jewelry store robbery ends in fatal shootout

A robbery attempt at a jewelry store ended with an employee fatally shooting a suspect Saturday evening in the central Las Vegas Valley, police said.

Officers were called about 5 p.m. after two men armed with handguns attempted to rob a jewelry store in a shopping center near Sahara Avenue and Maryland Parkway, Metropolitan Police Department homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said at a Saturday night press briefing. An employee of the store, John Fish Jewelers, exchanged gunfire with the suspects, fatally shooting one of the men.

The employee was shot at least once, and he was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in critical condition Saturday night, Spencer said. The employee had a concealed carry permit, Spencer said.

A customer also was struck during the gunfire, and he was hospitalized with nonlife-threatening injuries, Spencer said. The male suspect who was shot multiple times died at the scene.

The second suspect, who was wearing dark clothes, was last seen running through the parking lot, Spencer said. Police had not located him Saturday night.

Police did not believe the man stole anything from the store.

Metro detectives were called to another homicide at about 3 p.m. Saturday near Flamingo Road and Decatur Boulevard. While attempting to leave a nail salon without paying, a woman in her mid-20s ran over her manicurists. The woman hit by the car was taken to University Medical Center, where she later died.

“There’s been several nights where we do have multiple homicides in one evening,” Spencer said. “But again, both are unrelated tonight.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.