Off-duty cop kills suspect in fireworks robbery

Jen Lawson

Wednesday, July 2, 2003 | 11:11 a.m.

An off-duty Metro Police officer who was manning a fireworks stand Tuesday night shot and killed a would-be robber who pointed a gun at the officer and his wife, police said.

The shooting occurred about 11:30 p.m. The officer and his wife were selling fireworks at a booth at Spring Mountain Road and Rainbow Boulevard to raise money for Metro's K-9 program when a man pulled a gun on the officer and his wife and demanded money, Capt. Tom Lozich said.

The officer whipped out his gun and shot the suspect, killing him.

"He just picked the wrong fireworks stand," Lozich said.

The shooting occurred on a busy street corner, and several people driving by witnessed it and called police. Detectives are in the process of conducting interviews.

About 15 minutes earlier, a man matching the suspect's description robbed another fireworks stand at Flamingo Road and Buffalo Drive, less than two miles away, and got away with less than $100.

Although the shooting occurred while the officer was off duty, it will be handled the same as any other officer-involved shooting, Lozich said.

The name of the officer is being withheld by Metro for 48 hours according to departmental policy. He has been placed on routine administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

A coroner's inquest jury will hear the case within the next few weeks and decide whether the shooting was justified.

"He encountered a threat and took what action was necessary during the commission of a robbery, and he wore his officer's hat at that point," Lozich said.

The Clark County coroner's office is withholding the suspect's name pending next of kin notification.

It's not unusual for a fireworks stand to be robbed, Lozich said. There was a rash of such robberies last year.

"Anytime you start setting up a place that has money, you'll have people who try to take that money," Lozich said. "There's easy access, no surveillance, not in a closed environment."

This shooting was the fifth time Metro officers had shot someone this year, and the third time a person shot by officers has died.

The most recent officer-involved shooting occurred June 17, when a gang member believed to be terminally ill fired shots from an assault rifle at officers. The last fatal officer-involved shooting was April 18, when an officer shot a man who allegedly tried to hit him with a golf club.