Las Vegas police shoot suspect after foot chase

A Las Vegas police officer shot a suspect Thursday afternoon while investigating a shooting at a bus stop in a northeast valley neighborhood.

But it appeared that the man who was shot was not connected to the bus stop shooting, and police were still looking Thursday night for the suspect in that event.

The incident started at 2:47 p.m., when a man waiting at a bus stop at Nellis and Las Vegas boulevards called 911 and said he had been shot in the face with a BB gun or pellet rifle, Capt. Patrick Neville said. The victim said he had been shot by a person in a passing vehicle.

About 10 minutes after officers descended on the area to try to locate the suspect, two officers spotted a suspicious vehicle in the nearby Heritage Estates Apartments, 4870 Nellis Oasis Lane, near Cheyenne Avenue and Nellis Boulevard.

Neville said the two officers tried to pull the vehicle over, and the man then fled on foot. After a brief foot pursuit, "an altercation happened" between one of the officers and the man.

The officer fired at the man, striking him several times. Investigators found the man's semiautomatic handgun at the scene, Neville said.

The man, who was not identified, was hospitalized in critical condition. Police said Thursday night that he was expected to survive.

It was unclear what sort of altercation led to the shooting.

"We are not quite sure at this point because we haven't spoken to the officer yet," Neville said Thursday afternoon.

The officer was placed on routine paid administrative leave. His name will be released 48 hours after the incident, per department policy.

The victim at the bus stop was shot with a BB gun or pellet rifle and was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

Police said Thursday night that they do not think the suspect was involved in the incident at the bus stop.

"It looks like at this point neither one is going to be related to each other," Lt. Lew Roberts said.

The police shooting caused most of the apartment complex to be closed to residents, many of whom expressed concern over safety. Several people said they regularly hear gunshots and see police in the complex.

"There's always problems here," said a 19-year-old woman who wouldn't give her last name. "You always hear people yelling at night."

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.