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Details emerge about man killed in fatal standoff with Las Vegas police

Clark County court records obtained by the Review-Journal allege that a man killed by police during a SWAT standoff Sunday morning molested two female relatives, as young as 7 years old, for nearly a decade.

William Lee Snider, 57, was shot by police in front of his home, in the 400 block of Lakehurst Road, near the Alta Drive and Antelope Way intersection, after hours of attempts to get the man to put down the rifle he was carrying, police said. Snider died from multiple gunshot wounds, the Clark County coroner's office said.

Neighbors told the Review-Journal that Snider was shot by SWAT team snipers a little before 10 a.m. Sunday, more than two hours after officers first arrived. A cellphone recording of the incident made by a neighbor to show the man aiming the rifle toward what was said to be officers.

County district court records show that Snider plead guilty to a felony charge of sexually motivated coercion and accepted a deal to serve between one and six years in prison.

The case against Snider, filed in March 2003, originally listed 51 charges, including 20 counts of lewdness with a minor under 14 years old, 18 counts of sexual assault against a minor under 14 years old and four counts of sexual assault against a minor under 16 years old. A 2003 arrest warrant for Snider claims the man abused one of the girls starting when she was 7 years old until she was 15. Allegations throughout the court records included fondling and various kinds of penetration.

Snider was required to register as a sex offender after his release.

Additional information about why the original charges were plead down was not available Monday night. Sniders family could not be reached for comment.

Metro's policy is to release the names of the officers involved 48 hours after the incident and hold a detailed press briefing after 72 hours.

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

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