Friday, Oct. 18, 2002 | 11:14 a.m.
A sign at the corner of Pecos Road and East Owens Avenue reads "Welcome to Friendly North Las Vegas."
But a block away, in the Summerhill apartment complex just outside city limits in Clark County, the mood is hostile.
Wednesday night in the apartment complex, a Metro Police officer shot a 16-year-old boy who investigators said appeared to be pulling a gun from his pocket. He did have a gun, but it was a BB gun designed to look like a handgun, officials said.
The boy, who was treated and released from University Medical Center for a gunshot wound to the waist, is being held in Clark County Juvenile Detention Facility on a felony charge of resisting a police officer.
Resident Lytania McNair, who was cleaning out her car on Thursday, said she didn't understand why the police officer shot the boy.
"I think it was wrong. I don't understand why they'd just shoot him like that," McNair said. "The police have to protect themselves, but if they're wrong, they're wrong. They're human too."
McNair said she didn't know the boy personally, but she has seen him around and she doesn't know him to be a troublemaker.
Other residents, some of whom declined to give their names, said this most recent officer-involved shooting adds to the sense of mistrust residents have toward police.
"I've seen this happen too many times before," resident Doyle Davis said, shaking his head.
This was the second officer-involved shooting this week and the 16th this year involving Metro cops.
On Sunday, an off-duty officer shot at a man who had just shot and killed his estranged wife in front of a church. The man, Donald Robinson, was found dead in his car a short time later with multiple gunshot wounds, and one appeared self-inflicted.
There were 33 officer-involved shootings in 2001 -- the number is inflated because 14 officers were involved in one incident -- and 17 in 2000.
Investigating Wednesday's shooting is more challenging than usual because witness and police accounts of the incident are in conflict with each other, Deputy Chief Ray Flynn said.
Police were at the apartment complex Wednesday afternoon looking for a wanted suspect. The officers saw a boy with a suspicious bulge in his pocket that appeared to be a handgun. When officers approached the boy, he ran, police said.
After a short chase through the complex, the boy turned toward the officers with a pistol in his hand, police said. One of the officers fired three shots, striking the boy once in the waist.
However, residents who said they witnessed the incident said the boy threw the gun down and kept running, and others said he dropped the gun.
Flynn said more than 50 people spoke to the press about the incident, but only 18 have agreed to tell police what they saw.
"I know what the officers said, and I know what the witnesses said," Flynn said. "We're going to do an exhaustive investigation."
After gathering the facts, Flynn said, the information will be given to the use-of-force board, comprised of four citizens and three police officers, who will determine whether the officer's actions were consistent with departmental policy.
Metro Capt. Dennis Cobb said although it's too early to draw conclusions, it doesn't appear that the officer committed a crime by firing the shot at the boy.
Gary Peck, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said officer-involved shootings in Las Vegas are "a serious problem."
"There have been a number of shootings, and there are many questions," Peck said. "People feel under siege."
Flynn said officer-involved shootings are taken very seriously, and they're rare considering that police make about a million contacts with citizens per year.
More often than not, officer-involved shootings are found to be justified, which shows that Metro's cops are "top-notch" and they're well-trained, Flynn said. Officers are trained that they can use deadly force to defend themselves or defend someone else.
However, Wednesday's shooting still needs to be investigated, and Flynn said any eyewitnesses who want to come forward can call 229-3521 and arrange to meet a detective someplace other than the apartment complex or a police facility.
The use-of-force board is expected to make a decision regarding this incident within six weeks.
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