A North Las Vegas police officer shot multiple times Tuesday afternoon has died from his injuries.
North Las Vegas police have not identified the officer nor the suspect, who was also deceased.
MORE INFO: North Las Vegas police identify officer killed in deadly shooting
The incident started in a neighborhood near West Lone Mountain Road and Camino Al Norte, sources said. The neighborhood is located near Craig Ranch Park.
The officer responded to a report of a person who pointed a gun at another person, police said in a news release Tuesday evening. The person with the gun ignored the officer’s commands and shot him.
It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the passing of one of North Las Vegas’ finest,” North Las Vegas Police Chief Jacqueline Gravatt said in a statement without identifying the officer. “Police officers choose this line of work because they want to protect and serve the community, knowing the risks and challenges that come with the badge. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the officer’s family, friends and his brotherhood in blue.”
A police procession was held for the officer shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
8 News Now spoke to the person who called 911, who did not want to be identified. She said she saw a person “throwing rocks with a firearm” at around 2:20 p.m.
The caller told 911 she was concerned about a nearby school bus drop-off coming to the area and was worried about the children’s safety.
Ten minutes later, police arrived and found the person the caller reported. She told 8 News Now that she heard gunfire shortly after police arrived and saw the suspect run through the neighborhood.
Another woman, Toni Cooper, a resident in the area, was there when the incident started. She said she had initially heard police cars before seeing what she described as three or four people running away from a house.
“It sounded just like a Western shootout,” Cooper said. “I heard a pop pop, pop, pop, pop… gunfire.”
Cooper described the neighborhood as a safe one, adding that the person involved came from a different area with a gun.
I’ve never seen so many police in my life,” Cooper said.
After the shooting, the officer was rushed to University Medical Center for treatment where several law enforcement agencies stood vigil. 8 News Now first reported the incident shortly before 3 p.m.
In their initial statement around 4:15 p.m., nearly two hours after the shooting, police did not immediately say what the state of the officer’s injuries were or name the location of the shooting.
Police said more information would be released when available but no media availability was scheduled as of Tuesday evening. The officer’s death marks the first officer-involved shooting in North Las Vegas for the year.
