Man shot by SWAT officer

Keith Paul

Tuesday, March 19, 2002 | 11:22 a.m.

A 22-year-old man was in critical condition this morning after a Metro Police SWAT officer shot him once in the leg while serving a search warrant at a North Las Vegas apartment Monday night.

Police say when SWAT officers entered an apartment in the 2200 block of Statz Street, near Lake Mead Boulevard and Civic Center Drive, Enrique Flores pointed a handgun at the officers. One of the SWAT officers fired one shot, hitting Flores about 10:15 p.m. Monday, Capt. Dennis Cobb said.

A handgun was recovered inside the apartment, but Flores did not fire at the officers, police said. Flores was the only person in the home at the time.

"The SWAT officers announced it was a search warrant when they entered the apartment," Cobb said. "It's pretty hard to mistake the SWAT officers for any kind of drug-related robbery."

The SWAT officers were called to check the apartment after narcotics detectives conducted an investigation into the trading of drugs for guns, Cobb said.

SWAT was used to enter the apartment first because detectives had information that there could be guns in the home, Cobb said.

Flores was taken to University Medical Center Monday night for treatment. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Metro will not release the officer's name for 48 hours after the shooting, which is department policy. The officer will remain on paid leave until he meets with a department psychologist and is cleared to return to regular duty.