Police probe death in NLV

A security guard on Tuesday morning shot and killed a man during an attempted carjacking at a North Las Vegas business.

Police said the suspect, estimated to be in his 20s, tried to steal the security guard's SUV at Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping, 2410 E. Gowan Road. The would-be car thief and security guard exchanged gunfire.

The shooting was still under investigation by North Las Vegas police, who would not elaborate on the incident.

Brundage-Bone officials applauded the security guard's actions during his first week on the job.

"We're proud of the way he protected the premises and the people that were in it," said Bruce Leslie, a lawyer for Brundage-Bone. "It was traumatic for everyone and we feel like we were well served by our (security) company and that particular guard."

After doing his own investigation, Leslie said he believes the carjacker fired the first round, shooting the guard in his left leg and leaving bullet holes in the SUV.

The security guard, the only guard on duty Tuesday morning, let laundry staff inside a gate enclosing the business about 5:50 a.m., Leslie said. The laundry staff members were on the other side of the building dropping off clean uniforms when they heard gunshots and ran outside.

They found the guard and the carjacker on the ground, both with bullet wounds. The employees disarmed the suspect, who still had his weapon in his hand, Leslie said.

The suspect and the guard were both taken to University Medical Center, where the suspect died; the security guard was released Tuesday afternoon with minor injuries, police said.

North Las Vegas police spokesman Mark Hoyt said initial investigation indicates the security guard was acting in self-defense but the case is still being examined.

Neither North Las Vegas police nor Brundage-Bone would release the security guard's name on Tuesday.

Leslie said the guard would like to remain anonymous.

Brundage-Bone started contracting security with a private firm that provides unarmed guards on Nov. 7, Leslie said.

It was unknown why the security guard had a gun and whether the company allows its guards to bring privately owned weapons to work.

Leslie would not name the firm that provides security for Brundage-Bone, but a guard at the company Tuesday afternoon wore a Veteran's Security uniform.

Management at Veteran's Security could not be reached for comment.

It is a misdemeanor to have a dangerous or deadly weapon in a vehicle in North Las Vegas without a concealed weapons permit, except for weapons being used for work or a sporting event, Hoyt said.

The security guard works alone during the night shift for the concrete company in a section of North Las Vegas that many in the area said is unsafe.

"I'm a big guy, and I'm not around at night," said Danny Knichel, a salesman for Sunroc, a construction and concrete company next door to Brundage-Bone. "I make sure all my employees are gone after dark, too."

Others who work on the dead-end block just west of Civic Center Drive echoed Knichel.

Kristy Bailey, who has worked in the area since July, said the neighborhood terrifies her.

"There's a lot of creepy people around here at night," she said.

Bailey once caught two people having sex in the parking lot near the installation company where she works. The ground is always littered with condoms and homeless people live under the nearby Interstate bridge.

"It's just not a safe neighborhood," she said.

North Las Vegas police said the area isn't as bad as some workers believe.

In his eight years with the department, Hoyt said, he has never been dispatched to the densely populated neighborhood surrounding the industrial area.

The neighborhood is heavily patrolled because Craig Elementary School is just down the street, he said.

Brundage-Bone officials said they appreciate the police presence in the neighborhood.

"We feel very comfortable owning a business here and that we're well protected," Leslie said.

Contact reporter Beth Walton at bwalton@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0279.