Bellagio fountain gunman had mental health problems, Metro says

Imagine you're standing on the Strip watching the fountain show at the Bellagio and a man comes up, points a gun at you, and pulls the trigger.

That's what Las Vegas police said Kahleal Black, 20, did Friday night. Luckily that gun was not loaded, officials said at a briefing Tuesday morning.

Black — who has a well-documented history of mental health interventions involving the Police Department — was taken into custody Friday night after numerous people called 911 about a man brandishing a handgun at several passers-by and motorists.

The 20-year-old was seen walking through traffic and on the sidewalk waving what appeared to be a gun about 7:10 p.m. Friday near the Bellagio fountains, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Police showed low-quality surveillance footage of a man who seemed to be pointing a gun at people outside the entrance to the Bellagio and again at a family walking on the sidewalk in front of the resort.

A married couple told police that the man pointed the gun at their heads and pulled the trigger three times. They heard three clicks, according to Black's arrest report.

"I'm going to f------ kill everyone," the man yelled, according to the couple's statement.

Metro officer George Smith arrived to confront Black about five minutes later, and when orders to put his hands up went ignored, Smith fired two shots at the man from 10 yards away. Those shots missed Black and traveled approximately 95 yards — one shot narrowly missed a homeless man, only going through the shoulder of his jacket, and the other ricocheted off a column and grazed a 4-year-old boy who was sitting on his father's shoulders to watch the fountain show.

The boy was treated at an area hospital and released in good condition, Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said.

McMahill began the press briefing by expressing his regrets about the bystanders who found themselves in harm's way.

"I'd like to take a moment to express my sorrow and provide an apology to the innocent victims and their families that were struck by our officer's gunfire during this event. We're very relieved that the injuries sustained were minor and that a full recovery is expected," he said. "We're accountable for every round that we fire from an officer's weapon, and frankly, in this event, we were very lucky that the situation did not end up in a very much worse scenario."

McMahill then described Black's history with Las Vegas police, which almost exclusively consisted of mental health interventions.

"This is another example of the many people in our community and in our country who are in a mental health crisis," he said.

Black has a short criminal history: In January of 2015, he was booked into the Clark County Detention Center as a John Doe for obstructing a police officer after he was kicked out of a resort on the Strip. When he was being released from the county jail, on Jan. 8, 2015, Black was placed on his first mental health hold for making a suicidal threat.

He was taken to the hospital, convinced the doctor he was not a threat and was released, McMahill said. He went home and again threatened suicide and was again placed on a mental health hold — commonly called a Legal 2,000.

A few weeks later, on Jan. 26, Black's brother reported him missing. Black had left a note leaving his possessions to his brother, started a fight at work and got fired, and wasn't seen again until Feb. 18. McMahill said he did not know where Black was working at the time, but added he was placed on another mental health hold three days later.

The extent of the mental health care that Black received was not clear. McMahill only said Black was an outpatient with a mental health facility.

Black exhibited a similar pattern of behavior the day of the shooting, McMahill said.

Earlier in the day, Black left his brother a note that said he could have all of his jewelry and clothes. Then Black went to work, started a fight and quit his job. It was again not clear where he was employed.

About 6:50 p.m. Friday, Black caused some kind of disturbance and was kicked out of a Strip resort, likely at or near Harrah's, but that incident did not involve police, McMahill said. The 911 calls started coming in about 20 minutes later as Black traveled south on the Strip.

A man was waving a revolver in the air and pointing it at drivers in the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, callers said. Police played multiple dispatch recordings at the briefing.

"It's in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip ... there's a guy with a gun," One woman told dispatchers. "He's literally in the middle of the road waving a gun."

"He's walking up to cars with it out ... pointing it at traffic," another man said in the recordings.

Smith, 45, fired when Black aimed the unloaded revolver at him. He was "fearing for his own life and the lives of the numerous citizens who were assembled there," McMahill said.

Smith has been with Metro for a little more than 10 years and has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of criminal and administrative reviews. Smith is assigned to Metro's Tourist Safety Division, which consists of regular patrols on the Strip.

Smith was not wearing a body-worn camera system, as only newly hired officers are required to do per Metro policy. Everyone else with a body camera has either elected to wear one or is participating in a pilot study.

McMahill said officers are trained to shoot from as far away as 25 yards and are tested four times a year. He couldn't recall exactly when Smith last qualified for marksmanship.

Black dropped to the floor when Smith fired, but was so combative that officers had to put a spit-mask and restraints on him, police said. He refused to give officers his name and was identified using fingerprint records, McMahill said. He was still refusing to talk Tuesday.

The handgun that was recovered from Black at the time of his arrest was a stolen, snub-nose .38-caliber revolver. McMahill said it was one of more than 35 firearms that were taken during a residential burglary in the central valley on Dec. 15, 2015.

Police are working to determine whether Black was involved in that theft.

Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Rachel Crosby contributed to this report. Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl