56°F
weather icon Clear

Man shot by Las Vegas police a suspect in recent burglaries

The man shot by a Las Vegas officer Tuesday in front of a northwest valley department store may have been involved in two recent burglaries.

Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Sheriff Todd Fasulo told reporters Friday that the gun Giuseppe Russo allegedly held, and a Lexus he was next to when police arrived, were stolen during burglaries at a home on July on 14 and 15.

Fasulo said the burglary investigation is ongoing.

“Obviously, we know know who had the gun and the car, but whether or not they have been tied to actually taking it, that investigation is continuing,” he said.

Police responded about 2 p.m. Tuesday to the parking lot at a Kohl’s store at 6700 N. Durango Drive to a call about people sitting in a gold Lexus, banging their heads against the window and watching customers leave the store.

Russo, 30, allegedly fled soon after the arrival of Officer Jeffrey Burr, an eight-year Metro veteran assigned to the northwest patrol area.

Surveillance and body-worn camera footage shows the suspect sliding over cars and running serpentine through the parking lot. Russo allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband and turned toward the officer, and Burr fired five shots from about three yards away, Fasulo said.

Russo was struck in the arm and hip area. Burr then gave emergency medical treatment to the man and applied a tourniquet to his arm while they waited for an ambulance, Fasulo said. He was taken to University Medical Center, and Fasulo described his condition as “critical but stable” on Friday.

The incident, from Burr’s arrival to the shooting, lasted only 43 seconds. Fasulo said it’s an example of the types of split-second decisions police officers have to make.

“He could have ran right back inside that store,” Fasulo said of Russo.

Russo is accused 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.

Another man, 26-year-old Andrew Verdi, was also arrested in connection to the shooting and faces a drug charge, Metro has said. He was one of the men inside the Lexus when Burr arrived, Fasulo said.

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Follow @WesJuhl on Twitter.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST