Suspected Bellagio fountain gunman to receive mental health evaluation

Kahleal Black, the man authorities said waved a gun in front of tourists and police outside the Bellagio, is scheduled to have his mental health evaluated by psychologists, according to his public defense attorney.

At a hearing Friday, Black's case was sent to what's known as competency court, where a judge will decide whether he should be sent to Lakes Crossing, a maximum-security psychiatric facility, lawyer Christy Craig said.

Earlier this week, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Conrad Hafen set a $2 million bail for the 20-year-old who police said who pointed a gun at people along the Strip last week.

Black, who has a well-documented history of mental health interventions involving the police department, was wheeled into court with a blue blanket covering his body and wearing a spit mask over his head. He hummed loudly throughout a brief appearance.

Black was taken into custody Friday night after numerous people called 911 about a man brandishing a handgun at several passers-by and motorists near the Bellagio fountains.

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, going only through the shoulder of his jacket, and the other shot ricocheted off a column and grazed a 4-year-old boy who was sitting on his father's shoulders to watch the fountain show.

Black's older brother Dymond Black told reporters that the 20-year-old needed help for his mental illness. About a week before the incident at Bellagio, Black had stopped taking medication for schizophrenia, his brother said.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker