Police describe details of recent officer-involved shootings

The Metropolitan Police Department has had 15 shootings involving officers this year, 10 of which were fatal, making the department one shooting shy of last year's total.

Las Vegas police briefed the press Tuesday morning on the three most recent shootings, all of which happened last week. The shootings involved a suicidal subject, a threatening father and a wounded officer. New details released Tuesday included police footage and information about a Good Samaritan who helped a wounded officer.

Two of the shootings happened the same day.

Las Vegas police released footage of Brenda Dean Kimberling, 48, who the department said was suicidal.

Kimberling was shot and killed Dec. 14 after she aimed a shotgun at Metro officers outside her 4564 Aviation St. home, about a half mile from Nellis Air Force Base near the intersection of Craig Road and Nellis Boulevard. Before the shooting, police spent hours trying to negotiate with her.

Metro Assistant Sheriff Tom Roberts told reporters Tuesday that police were requested to check on Kimberling after several people she knew, one person as far away as Ohio, said they received calls or saw videos on social media of Kimberling saying that she was going to kill herself by taking pills.

"She told us she was suicidal and wanted to quote-unquote suicide by cop," Roberts said.

Police tried to calm her down, but she came out and pointed a handgun at the officers positioned "several houses away." Roberts said. That triggered the SWAT team's activation.

As the situation went on, Kimberling began to slur her words and became less coherent. Through an open line, police heard her snoring and thought she had fallen asleep and broke the door down. That woke her up, and the standoff continued.

In the footage released by Metro, Kimberling is seen holding the muzzle of a shotgun under her chin and screaming at police officers. The video cuts off as Kimberling raises the shotgun toward the officers a moment before SWAT snipers, officers Charles Moser and John Collingwood, shot her. Moser, 46, has been with the department since 2000; Collingwood, 33, joined in 2006. Kimberling died on the scene about 2 p.m.

"We never know what is the underlying reason for why this person wants to hurt themselves, commit suicide, so we want to peacefully resolve those," Roberts said.

The video was captured by what Roberts called a robot that did not record audio.

Eight hours after Kimberling was killed in a confrontation with police, Las Vegas police officers shot and killed a man they said came at them with a gun while his son was being arrested.

Metro Assistant Sheriff Todd Fasulo told reporters Tuesday that police found a black 2006 Lexus sedan believed to have been used in an armed robbery. Three people were standing by the Lexus, two of whom matched the suspects' description.

As the men were lying prone in the yard at 3869 King Palm Ave., near Pecos and Alexander roads, waiting to be taken into custody, Roberto Sanchez, 45, opened the front door and threatened officers with a handgun. Officers instructed him to stand down, but he didn't, Fasulo said. Officer Solon McGill, 36, fired six shots at Sanchez about 9 p.m.

After being shot, Sanchez ran inside the home and collapsed. He died at University Medical Center.

Fasulo said he doesn't know why Sanchez chose to engage officers the way he did.

"This shooting could have been prevented," he said.

A body-worn camera on the scene malfunctioned and failed to capture the event, Metro Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said.

The third shooting happened just a few days later.

Officer Gregory Sedminik, 52, and another officer were responding to a domestic disturbance call about 11:15 a.m. Thursday when Sedminik was unexpectedly confronted and exchanged gunfire with a man at the Emerald Suites, 9145 Las Vegas Blvd. South, near the intersection of Agate Avenue.

The shooter hit the officer under the arm and under the bulletproof vest and then fled, police said. An anonymous civilian at the apartment complex came to the officer's aid, using a bed sheet to try to slow the bleeding, removing the officer's vest to see where he was wounded and keeping the officer calm. Sedminik was released from the hospital Friday and is expected to recover fully, McMahill said.

Sedminik fired two shots at the man during the incident but missed. Teag Fox, 38, was arrested in connection with the event and faces one count each of attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon, battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in bodily harm on a police officer and discharging a firearm into occupied structure.

McMahill said Fox invoked his right to an attorney and did not tell police what happened. Sometime during the confrontation, Fox asked Sedminik why he was trying to kill him.

Police set up a perimeter to find the perpetrator after the shooting, but Fox got out of the area by asking a co-worker to pick him up. McMahill said he doesn't believe the co-worker had any knowledge of the shooting and will not face any charges.

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