8NewsNow staff
8NewsNowTue, 02 Jun 2020 18:38 UTC
© Orko Manna/Twitter
Protests Monday night turned violent leaving a Las Vegas police officer fighting for his life and a suspect in a second shooting dead.
Metro police sources confirm to 8 News Now that
a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer who was shot in the head near Circus Circus late Monday night is on life support at UMC.
According to Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo who held a news conference at 3 a.m., police were attempting to disperse protesters in front of Circus Circus Hotel & Casino when people in the crowd began throwing bottles and rocks at the officers and the officers began to take some people into custody.
A source told 8 News Now,
as one officer was in a struggle with a protester, another person walked up and shot the officer in the back of the head. The shooting suspect was taken into custody around 2 a.m.
"This is a sad night for our LVMPD family and a tragic night for our community," Lombardo said.
A separate shooting involving police left a man dead near the Lloyd George Federal Building on Las Vegas Boulevard.
According to Sheriff Lombardo, "At approximately 11:22 p.m., officers encountered a subject who was armed with multiple firearms and appeared to be wearing body armor," Lombardo said. "During the interaction the subject reached for a firearm and the officers engaged him. The suspect was struck by gunfire and transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased."
Gov. Steve Sisolak tweeted out that his office is monitoring the situation, writing, "My Office has been notified that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is currently working two separate incidents in Las Vegas. The State is in contact with local law enforcement and continues to monitor the situation."
Attorney General Aaron Ford released a statement Tuesday morning about the officer-involved shootings that occurred during Monday night's protests.
Comment: More chaos from around the country:
Police detain store owners live on air after they use shotguns to PROTECT property from suspected looters
Police have detained store owners who used firearms to defend their premises from alleged looters in Los Angeles. The dramatic incident was caught in a live broadcast by a local news crew.
The tense standoff at the city's Van Nuys neighborhood was filmed by a FOX 11 news crew. According to the reporter at the scene, several vehicles drove up to a gold store, and a group of apparent looters attempted to enter the premises. They were confronted by the store's owners, two of whom were wielding shotguns. Another person at the scene had a large machete-type knife on his belt.
The people, identified by the reporter as the store's owners, were heard yelling: "We're closed, bro." When the police arrived, several men had fled the scene, and were chased down by the officers.
The police handcuffed and detained the people that had come out of the shop, prompting the reporter to shout: "They're the store owners! They're protecting the store!"
WATCH as Virginia police fire tear gas at KNEELING protesters with hands in the air
The mayor and chief of police of Richmond, Virginia, have each apologized after police opened fire with tear gas on kneeling protesters with their hands raised above their heads, roughly 30 minutes before a citywide curfew.
Police claimed they'd fired on protesters attempting to tear down confederate statues located on Monument Avenue in downtown Richmond, adding that several officers had been cut off by violent protesters.
The tear gas was deployed on protesters on Monument Avenue, who had just completed a peaceful march through downtown.
Addressing "peaceful protesters," Richmond police said: "We stand with you today and will keep supporting your rights to express your opinions in safety."
The officers who opened fire with the tear gas have allegedly been pulled from field duty and face disciplinary action by the Richmond police department.
R.C.