71
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Assistant Clark County Sheriff Tim Kelly spoke about an officer-involved shooting during a news conference, today, in Las Vegas. Kelly told reporters today that Terrence White Jr. was shot by police and died early Thursday in an SUV that slammed into a police vehicle on a street near a northeast Las Vegas neighborhood park.
LAS VEGAS >> Seven Las Vegas police officers fired a combined 58 shots in the killing of an 18-year-old who had an assault-style rifle in a stolen SUV that drove toward officers, a department official said today.
Two of the shots struck Terrence Dewayne White Jr., who died early Thursday after he slammed into a police vehicle near a northeast Las Vegas neighborhood park, Assistant Clark County Sheriff Tim Kelly told reporters.
Kelly played a few minutes of video clips from two police officers’ body cameras of the black Dodge Durango being peppered with gunfire as officers fired handguns, a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle.
The vehicle made a U-turn, stopped amid commands by officers to surrender, and then accelerated down the street. Officers fired a second volley of shots after White made a motion toward an AR-15 rifle on the seat next to him, Kelly said.
The weapon had five bullets in it and been stolen in May from a National Wildlife Refuge police vehicle, Kelly said. The SUV had been stolen from a woman at gunpoint on June 8, he said. Police also found two BB pistols in the vehicle with White.
White had been sought with two other suspects in a string of violent armed robberies in northeast Las Vegas, Kelly said. Those two suspects were arrested Wednesday in a robbery and shooting that left a 25-year-old man wounded, police said.
The Thursday shooting unfolded after an officer found White asleep in the Durango around 4 a.m. Thursday. He summoned other officers before White awoke and began driving away.
“There’s nowhere for you to go. Stop the vehicle now!” a police officer can be heard saying through a bullhorn as the vehicle idles in the street. “You will be shot if you drive this way.”
The responding officer fired three shotgun blasts, then another officer fired 14 rounds from a police AR-15 rifle and five other patrol officers fired their handguns between two and 19 times apiece.
All seven officers are on paid leave pending departmental and district attorney reviews of the shooting. The shooting was the eighth involving Las Vegas police this year. Four have been fatal.
By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines.
Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.