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Las Vegas police ID officer who shot man in northwest valley

Updated July 20, 2017 - 8:08 pm

Las Vegas police on Thursday identified the 29-year-old officer who shot a man Tuesday in the far northwest valley.

The officer, Jeffrey Burr, has worked with the Metropolitan Police Department since May 2009. He was assigned to the community policing division, which includes community outreach, and has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal review of the shooting, police said.

The shooting happened about 2 p.m. Tuesday just outside of a Kohl’s store at 6700 N. Durango Drive, police said. Burr was responding to reports of a “distraught” man who was standing near a stolen vehicle in the Kohl’s parking lot.

According to arrest reports obtained by the Las Vegas-Review Journal, the man had been hitting his head against the side of a car door and watching people enter and exit the business.

When Burr pulled up, he withdrew his gun and ordered the man to step in front of his patrol car, but the man did not listen and instead ran away, the reports say.

While running away, the man reached into his waistband and pulled out a firearm, according to the arrest documents. Burr then fired, striking the man.

The man shot was taken to University Medical Center’s trauma unit, where he was listed in critical condition. Police have not given a more current update on his condition.

He has since been identified as Giuseppe Russo, 30, according to Clark County Detention Center records. Russo was jailed on charges of assault on a protected person with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and possession of a gun by a prohibited person. His bail was set at $15,000.

Another man, 26-year-old Andrew Verdi, was also arrested in connection to the shooting and faces a drug charge, Metro said. Verdi’s arrest report does not clearly indicate how he is involved with the incident. His bail is set at $3,000.

Metro is expected to release more information Friday, including any available body camera footage, as per department protocol.

Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @rachelacrosby on Twitter. Rachel Hershkovitz contributed to this article.

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