Metro identifies officers involved in fatal shooting

By Mary Manning

Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 | 2:04 p.m.

Bryan Hanasz

Fire, shooting investigation

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Two Metro Police officers and two sergeants have been identified as those involved in a shooting earlier this week in which firefighters responding to a house fire came under a hail of gunfire.

The eight firefighters were unharmed after two Las Vegas Fire Department engines arrived at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at 1230 Comstock Drive, then called in police.

Sgt. Frank Soto, 60, who has been with Metro Police since Feb. 23, 1993, received minor injuries to his arm and back and was treated and released at University Medical Center, police said.

Sgt. Harry Fagel, 41, has been with Metro since Feb. 22, 1994; Officer Steve Tsapatoris, 37, has been with Metro since Aug. 27, 1998; and Officer Gregory Hazen, 39, has been with Metro since Sept. 13, 2000, police said.

The four responded after gunfire struck two fire engines and four marked police patrol cars, police said.

Firefighters spotted a man wielding a long gun coming around the right side of the Comstock Drive house, near Rancho Drive and Washington Avenue. Police shot the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

The Clark County Coroner's Office on Thursday identified the man who was shot as 36-year-old Bryan Hanasz of Las Vegas. He died of several gunshot wounds, a coroner's spokeswoman said.

There will be a coroner's inquest into the shooting, but no date has been scheduled.

The house had $200,000 worth of damage, said Tim Szymanski, spokesman for the Las Vegas Fire Department. Three cats were taken by Las Vegas Animal Control. No other firefighters or civilians were injured, he said.