Man wounded in third officer-involved shooting in eight days

Two Las Vegas police officers shot and wounded a man in a west valley apartment complex on Sunday, the third officer-involved shooting in eight days.

Police had been called to an apartment at 9501 W. Sahara Ave., near Fort Apache Road, over a domestic dispute involving the man, his wife and his wife's ex-husband. The ex-husband had been invited to the home, police said.

"She was moving out, and he had come over to help her move out of the apartment, and that's pretty much what started all this," Capt. Patrick Neville said.

Officers arrived about 4:15 p.m. to the apartment because the wife reported that the husband had shot the ex-husband after an altercation, police said.

Officers arrived and found the husband inside the apartment. Two officers fired, striking the man, who was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition, Neville said. The ex-husband, who was shot in the leg, was taken to UMC in stable condition.

What prompted the officers to fire on the husband was unknown Sunday evening, Neville said. He said police had not had a chance to interview either man and were waiting on obtaining a warrant before searching the apartment.

The names of the men involved were not released. The officers were placed on routine paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a coroner's inquest.

The incident was the 18th officer-involved shooting for the Metropolitan Police Department this year and the third since July 10, when three officers shot and killed a man outside a Summerlin Costco store.

The department averages 20 officer-involved shootings each year.

Last week's incidents, which dominated local news coverage, prompted Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie to hold a news conference Friday urging patience from the public while the department investigates the incidents.

"I hear your concern," he said. "Clearly everyone wants answers in these cases, including me. What I ask for is patience and trust."

Erik Scott, a 38-year-old pacemaker salesman and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, was shot while walking out of a Costco near Charleston Boulevard and the Las Vegas Beltway. Store workers had evacuated the store and called police after they saw that Scott had a gun with him.

Scott had a concealed-carry permit for two guns, and police said he had two guns on him when they shot him. Police said he pulled a gun out in front of officers and pointed it at them after officers told him to get on the ground.

Of the more than 40 witnesses police had interviewed last week, more than a dozen reported seeing Scott with the gun in his hand.

On Thursday, police shot and wounded a domestic violence suspect after he opened fire on them, police said.

A woman called 911 about 10 p.m. and said her ex-boyfriend was armed with a handgun outside her home at 3908 Applecrest St., near Alexander Road and Rancho Drive, police said.

The suspect, 27-year-old Jason Vanbuskirk, immediately fired at the officers when they arrived, police said. Three officers returned fire and hit Vanbuskirk, who was taken to UMC in critical condition.

Investigators determined that Vanbuskirk had fired at least twice in the direction of someone riding a moped in the area. He is facing charges of three counts of attempted murder on a police officer and one count of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.

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