Motorist in crash is killed after firing on Las Vegas police officers

Las Vegas police shot and killed a DUI suspect Wednesday morning after he fired at least one gunshot at officers responding to a three-vehicle crash in the southwest valley.

The exchange of gunfire occurred after the man crashed about 7:15 a.m. near South Rainbow Boulevard and Gary Avenue, close to Blue Diamond Road. Witnesses would later tell detectives that the man hid an object — later determined to be a gun — in a bush near the roadway before officers arrived at the scene of the crash, Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Jamie Prosser said at a late-morning news briefing.

During the investigation into the crash, the man refused to take a field sobriety test after appearing to be under the influence, police said. Instead, Prosser said, he ran from officers into an adjacent desert area, picked up the gun and fired at least one shot toward police.

Two officers fired back and hit the man, who died at the scene.

Another person was hospitalized with injuries unrelated to the crash, but Prosser did not say what caused that person’s injuries.

Per department protocol, Metro will identify the officers who shot the man after 48 hours have passed since the shooting.

During the hourslong investigation Wednesday, construction workers could be seen standing on scaffolding on an unfinished building south of the scene, watching as detectives worked.

The suspect will be identified by the coroner’s office once his family has been notified. His death was the 134th homicide and 20th police shooting investigated by Metro this year, according to records maintained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Ten of those police shootings were fatal.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writers Rio Lacanlale and Mike Shoro contributed to this report.