Suspect wounded by Metro officer

Jen Lawson

Friday, March 14, 2003 | 11:16 a.m.

A robbery suspect was in critical condition after being shot by a Metro Police officer this morning at an apartment complex where a methamphetamine lab was discovered, police said.

Lt. Ted Snodgrass said the wounded man, whose name was not released this morning, was a suspect in a robbery that took place Sunday at the 7-Eleven at Torrey Pines Drive and Charleston Boulevard.

"We had been looking for him all day," Snodgrass said. "He had already shot one clerk, and we were working him 24-7."

Officers were searching for the suspect, described as a man in his early 30s, in two different apartment complexes. They found him about 12:30 a.m. Friday at the Emerald Crest complex near Alta Drive at Torrey Pines Drive. The man who was shot or his relatives live at the apartment complex, police said.

Officers approached him near the complex swimming pool and commanded him to surrender, police said. But police allege the suspect pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the officers.

An officer fired several shots at the man, hitting him once in the front torso, Capt. Tom Lozich said. He was taken to University Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition, a spokeswoman said.

Snodgrass said officers did find a gun in the man's possession. It was not clear if it was the same gun used in Sunday's robbery, Lozich said.

While in the complex, officers stumbled upon a methamphetamine lab in a garage.

"The smells were pretty bad," Snodgrass said.

Police believe the lab "is associated with the suspect," Snodgrass said.

Snodgrass said he expects the suspect to be charged with at least one robbery.

On Sunday a robber ordered employees in a room and shot through the door, hitting a clerk in the arm, police said.

"This is a guy who needed to be taken into custody," Snodgrass said. "It's one thing to do a robbery, but it's another when he shoots people in the commission of the crime."

The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is normal procedure in officer-involved shootings. The name of the officer will be withheld for 48 hours, according to departmental policy.

The shooting will be reviewed by Metro's use-of-force board, comprising four citizens and three officers, who investigate all shootings involving Metro officers.

This is the second officer-involved shooting this year. The last one was Feb. 28 in southwest Las Vegas. Metro officers shot and killed an unarmed man who held seven children hostage in a home. Police said the man was shot because he made movements toward his waistband and officers thought he was reaching for a gun.

Sheriff Bill Young has said he planned to put together a committee of top cops within the next few months to review the department's use-of-force policy to see if it can be improved.

Metro officers fatally shot seven people in 2002 and six in 2001.