Police kill man holding a knife on a female hostage

Monday, Aug. 5, 2002 | 9:44 a.m.

North Las Vegas Police officers responding to a domestic dispute Sunday night shot a man to death.

Police received a call about 7:30 p.m. that a man had taken his girlfriend hostage, NLV police spokesman Lt. Art Redcay said.

When officers arrived at the 2200 block of Cambridge Elm near Lake Mead and Martin Luther King boulevards, they found 29-year-old Deon Johnson of North Las Vegas armed with a large butcher knife standing outside a car, Redcay said. A woman left the car, but Johnson grabbed her around the neck and held the knife near her face, Redcay said.

As Johnson backed away from officers, he stabbed the air near the woman's neck with the knife. Officers, while moving toward the couple, ordered the man to release the woman and drop the knife, Redcay said.

The woman suddenly slumped to the ground and Johnson knelt next to her, putting the knife blade to her neck, leaning toward her.

Fearing for the life of the woman, one officer fired a single shot from his weapon, Redcay said. The round struck the Johnson in the head.

The woman was taken to a local hospital for minor wounds, was treated and released.

The name of the suspect is behind withheld until the coroner's office can contact the next of kin.

The officer involved in the shooting is on paid administrative leave, per department policy. His name will be withheld for 48 hours.