LV man gets life in prison
A 43-year-old Las Vegas man accused of wounding several officers during a 2007 shootout at the Paradise Park apartments was sentenced Tuesday to serve four life sentences in prison.
District Judge Jackie Glass sentenced Terry Dixon after a jury convicted him in January of multiple felonies, including four counts of attempted murder. He is not eligible for parole.
Glass sentenced Dixon harshly in part because of his criminal record dating back about 20 years. His offenses included robberies and battery.
"I have the responsibility to make sure that a person such as Mr. Dixon does not put anyone else at risk," Glass said. "The future, if I look into my crystal ball, tells me that it wouldn't be long before someone died."
Dixon, who is in custody at the county jail, tried to escape Monday. According to a Las Vegas police report, Dixon tried to break a window out of the jail and use bedsheets to lower himself onto the street. He didn't succeed.
He appeared in court Tuesday in shackles, wearing protective guards on his hands. About nine court marshals and corrections officers stood watch over him during the sentencing hearing.
Dixon declined to comment at the sentencing.
Dixon was accused of wounding three officers during a stand-off and shootout with police in October 2007 near Twain Avenue and Paradise Road. Authorities later said he was responsible for hitting two officers with gunfire. Another officer was hit by friendly fire.
The officers did not sustain life-threatening injuries. One was shot in the wrist. Another was hit in his protective vest while a third was shot in his equipment belt.
About 200 officers responded to the standoff.
Chief Deputy District Attorney William "Bill" Kephart praised the officers involved in the incident. He said police are often criticized when they are involved in fatal shootings but aren't recognized when they show restraint.
Dixon's attorneys said he was trying to commit suicide-by-cop during the shootout. Deputy Public Defender Nadine Morton, who asked the judge to sentence Dixon to life with the possibility of parole, said Dixon was also on drugs at the time of the shootings.
Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.
