Man fatally shot in struggle with police identified

A man shot to death Thursday by North Las Vegas police during a struggle has been identified by the Clark County coroner’s office as Fred Brown, 34, of North Las Vegas.

Police said the shooting unfolded after two officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute on the 700 block of East Nelson Avenue, near North Fifth Street, around 6 a.m.

A woman at the scene reported her boyfriend had physically abused her, police said. Officers accompanied the woman to retrieve her phone and shoes from the home. In the bedroom, they encountered Brown and tried to arrest him, but he fought with officers and put one in a chokehold, a release from the police department said.

The officer, Alexander Cuevas, broke free and shot Brown in the chest.

The officers “immediately began life saving efforts,” police said, but he died at a hospital.

The coroner’s office said Brown died from multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was listed as homicide. Cuevas, who has been with the department for four years, was placed on routine paid administrative leave, police said.

The shooting was the first of two for North Las Vegas police in four days. Police said on Sunday at 6 a.m. they responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a domestic dispute with shots fired between a man and his father on the 3500 block of Quiet Pueblo Street, near Gowan Road and Revere Street.

Officers encountered a suspect holding a handgun outside the house. After he refused multiple commands to drop the gun, two officers opened fire and hit the man, police said. Police said as of Sunday afternoon that the man was in critical condition at University Medical Center. No further information has been released.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.