Extradition hearing could be held today for suspect in officer’s killing

Friday, Jan. 16, 1998 | 9:36 a.m.

Siaosa Vanisi, 27, was arrested here late Wednesday after a nearly four-hour standoff with Salt Lake County sheriff's deputies that ended with tear gas and gunfire.

The standoff ended an intense manhunt, unmatched in Reno history, that began early Tuesday when Sullivan's body was found near his patrol car on campus.

The officer was bludgeoned to death with a hatchet, authorities said. His .45-caliber Glock sidearm was missing from the body.

Sullivan, 43, a 19-year department veteran, had a wife and five children. A memorial service was planned today at UNR's Lawlor Events Center.

Vanisi's arrest eased the minds of authorities in Reno, but provided little comfort as they grieved the loss of one of their own.

"We just have to deal with it and move forward," UNR Police Chief Kenneth Sjoen said. "George will be forever in our hearts."

Vanisi also has been charged with two counts of robbery in which the officer's gun was apparently used.

In Reno, Washoe County District Attorney Dick Gammick said a weapon recovered from the apartment where Vanisi was arrested was Sullivan's gun.

Vanisi was being held without bail in the Salt Lake County Jail. Two Reno detectives arrived in Salt Lake City early Thursday.

Gammick said an extradition hearing could be held as early as today. If Vanisi does not fight his return to Nevada, he could be back in Reno within a week. If he challenges extradition, the process could take up to six weeks, he said.

Vanisi could face a potential death penalty, though Gammick said a determination on whether to seek the death penalty had not been made. He added that an investigation into the killing continues, and detectives are still interviewing numerous witnesses.

An affidavit filed in Reno Justice Court said Vanisi recently moved to the Reno area from Los Angeles and shared an apartment with Metuidela Tauveli, who said Vanisi had a hatchet.

Officers searched the residence and recovered a pair of gloves, a jacket and a hatchet that all appeared to have been stained by blood.

"Mr. Tauveli, and several other persons, also reported that in the days preceding the murder of Sgt. Daniel Sullivan they had heard Siaosi Vanisi repeatedly state, 'I want to kill a cop,' " the affidavit said.

Another resident, Corina Louis, said she was watching television accounts of the killing with Vanisi later Tuesday and "he admitted that he had killed Sgt. George Daniel Sullivan."

Vanisi has relatives in Utah and has spent time in jail here. When Nevada authorities tipped the sheriff's office that he might be in the area, detectives went to his relations and asked them to call if he showed up.

"It wasn't more than an hour later they were calling saying, 'He's here,"' said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Potter.

Deputies arrived and Vanisi brandished a firearm and fled inside.

Vanisi set fire to the garage as officers shot tear gas into the dwelling, authorities said.

SWAT officers encountered him in a hallway. Vanisi was shot once in the arm before officers brought him down by using a beanbag gun. The 3-ounce beanbag struck him in the chest and he fell, Potter said.

Vanisi was taken to University Hospital for treatment before he was booked into jail.