Man found dead after officer-involved shooting in central valley
A man was found dead early Saturday morning inside a home near J Street and Owens Avenue where a Las Vegas police officer and an 8-year-old girl were shot and wounded.
Officers investigating the shooting of the girl late Friday night came under fire at the residence on Wyatt Avenue, police spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said.
One officer was grazed on the head by a bullet and was pulled from the home by fellow officers during the ensuing shootout, Meltzer said.
SWAT officers later found the suspect in the shooting dead after a standoff that lasted several hours. Meltzer said it is unclear whether the man took his own life or was killed in the exchange of gunfire with police.
"It's a very active investigation at this point," she said.
The injuries to the officer and the 8-year-old girl were not considered life threatening. "He was very fortunate," Meltzer said of the wounded officer.
The incident began at about 10 p.m., when police were called to University Medical Center after the girl showed up there with an apparent gunshot wound to the face. A family member told police that a shot was fired during a domestic disturbance at the house. The bullet went through a wall and struck the child who was in another room.
Police went from the hospital to the residence at 1213 Wyatt Ave. to investigate the shooting. When officers found blood outside and entered the home, someone immediately started shooting at them, Meltzer said.
"The officers returned fire and performed a downed-officer rescue," she said.
The SWAT team was called to the house, but the man refused to surrender, Meltzer said. SWAT officers finally made their way into the home early Saturday morning and found the suspect dead.
Meltzer did not identify the suspect or any of the officers involved in the shootout.
The names of the officers will be released 48 hours after the shooting, per department policy. The officers will be placed on routine paid-administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.
