Injured officer identified, expected to recover from crash

By Mary Manning

Published Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 | 4:43 p.m.

Updated Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 | 8:07 p.m.

Metro Police said today that the second officer involved in a police cruiser crash that killed Officer Milburn Beitel is expected to recover from his injuries.

The injured officer, identified Friday as 25-year-old David W. Nesheiwat, joined the department in July 2006.

Nesheiwat is in serious but stable condition at University Medical Center, police said Friday evening.

Beitel, 30, died at University Medical Center at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday after undergoing surgery following a rollover crash into a fixed object.

Funeral services for Beitel will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church, 1811 Pueblo Vista Drive, in Las Vegas, Metro announced. Interment will follow at Palm Mortuary and Memorial Park Green Valley, 7600 S. Eastern Ave.

The route for the procession from the church to the cemetery has not been determined, Metro said.

Visitation for Beitel will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Palm Mortuary, 1325 N. Main St. A prayer vigil will follow starting at 7 p.m. and lasting about 30 minutes.

The two officers had been driving near the crash site, at Washington Avenue and Nellis Boulevard, for about 20 minutes in search of a "chemical" odor, police said.

Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie said the single-car crash occurred while the officers were responding to an non-emergency call. Officers don't have to operate their emergency equipment if they are not responding to a 911 call.

Beitel's death came five months after another young Metro officer died as he answered an emergency call. Officer James Manor was killed in May when his patrol car, at one point going 109 mph on Flamingo Road without lights or siren, struck a pickup truck making a left turn.

"When one of them is taken from us, you can see how very tragic it is, but we will continue to do our jobs," Gillespie said during a news conference Thursday.