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Two LVMPD Officers Were Killed Today

9K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  bltdonahue 
#1 ·
#4 ·
Details are sketchy but sources within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department say the officers were shot by a man and a woman who approached them as they ate lunch at a CiCi's Pizza, 309 N. Nellis Boulevard, at about 11:20 a.m.

Sheriff Doug Gillespie identified the officers as Alyn Beck, 42, and Igor Soldo, 32. He said no motive for the attack has been determined.

"It's a tragic day," the sheriff said. "We have lost two officers with young families."

There are still many questions whose answers won't be known immeidately, Gillespie said.

A law enforcement official who has been briefed on the incident said one officer was refilling a soft-drink when the female shooter approached him from behind and shot him in the head, killing him instantly.

The woman then shot the other officer several times as he was trying to draw his pistol. Initial reports indicate that Soldo was the officer shot at the soda machine, but that has not been confirmed. :Gillespie did say one of the officers was able to fire back.

One officer was reportedly dead at the scene, while the other died later in surgery at University Medical Center. Both were uniform patrol officers assigned to the Northeast Area Command. Beck was a senior patrol officer who had taught Advanced Officer Skills Training and at the Metro academy.

Witnesses told police one of the shooters yelled "This is the start of a revolution" before shooting the officers. Gillespie later said he could not confirm the shooters said that.

The shooters then stripped the officers of their weapons and ammunition and went into the Walmart across the street at 201 North Nellis.

Witnesses at the scene reported hearing shots fired in quick succession inside the Walmart.

At a news conference at about 1 p.m. Assistant Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the male shooter, described as a tall white man, yelled "everyone get out" before shooting.

One unconfirmed report is that the two exchanged gunfire with a citizen who was carrying a concealed weapon, and that one of the shooters was injured.

Gillespie confirmed someone, whose name has not yet been released, was shot and killed just inside the front doors of the Walmart.

As Metro officers entered the front and back doors of the store they exchanged gunfire with the shooters, Gillespie said.

The female shooter then shot and wounded her accomplice before shooting herself in the head, a law enforcement official said. The man then shot and killed himself. Their identities have not been released by police.

Both shooters were reportedly carrying large duffle bags, and a bomb squad was called to the scene. It's unclear at this time what, if anything, was found in the bags. A fire department official said the bomb squad response was "a precaution."

The FBI was called out to the shooting.

Metro asked for any available off-duty officers to work Sunday afternoon. Patrol squads were doubling up so each officer would have a partner, sources said. Metro officers usually patrol solo, but Gillespie said they would continue to ride with partners in the coming days while the investigation continues.

Metro also asked all department members to shroud their badges with a diagonal black band, which is often done as a sign of respect for fallen officers.

"It's a very, very difficult day," Gillespie said, "but we still have a community to police, and we still have a community to protect."

Marlene Buck works at the Denny's on Nellis across from WalMart. She said she was impressed with how quickly Metro responded.

"It took less than fifteen minutes," she said.

As squad cars cordoned off the street, Buck said restaurant customers crowded against the windows and started to rush outside.

"I did everything I could to keep everyone inside," she said, adding it looked like a warzone and making a machine-gun gesture with her hands.

Late into the afternoon dozens of bystanders were standing outside police tape, watching the investigation. Walmart employees and shoppers cried and hugged before police took them to be interviewed in a nearby store. After talking with witnesses, officers took them to one of several buses waiting in the parking lot.

A grandmother who was shopping in Walmart with her two teenage granddaughters said they crouched in a makeup aisle when they heard shots. She prayed out loud, but the girls asked her to keep quiet so the shooters wouldn't find them. When they peeked around the aisle and couldn't see the shooters, they ran out of the store.

Cici's and Walmart were closed while Metro investigated. CiCi's Vice President of Operations Geoff Goodman expressed condolences on behalf of the chain.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic event and our hearts go out to the families and friends of the officers," Goodman said in a statement. "CiCi's is assisting police in any way we can."

Metro had never before seen two officers killed in a single incident. Gillespie said Sunday was an "unprecedented day."

Three Las Vegas police officers have died in separate on-duty incidents in recent years.

David Vanbuskirk, who died during a helicopter rescue at Mount Charleston, was the first Metro officer killed on-duty since 2009, a year when three officers died in traffic crashes and officer Trevor Nettleton was shot.

Nettleton had just finished his patrol shift when he was attacked in his garage by several would-be robbers, who were later charged with his murder. Although Nettleton had finished his patrol shift and was in street clothes, Metro classified his death as on-duty.

Sgt. Henry Prendes was shot and killed responding to a domestic violence call in 2007.

"We have been luckier than other police agencies," a Metro officer who asked not to be identified said Sunday. "In a town like this, with the criminals and scumbags we're dealing with every day, you're always wondering when something is going to happen."

The agency lists 18 other on-duty deaths in department history, including seven officers killed before the Las Vegas Police Department consolidated with the Clark County Sheriff's Office in 1973.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman called the attack "a senseless and cruel act killing three innocent people, two who dedicated their lives to protecting all of us in our community and one who was innocently going about her daily life. At UMC Trauma and thereafter with fellow officers, I saw their pain was evident and clear. Their resolve was greater than ever to serve our community with loyalty, dedication and to honor the memory of their two comrades and friends."

Goodman directed that all flags at city facilities be lowered to half staff.

Gov. Brian Sandoval late Sunday issued the following statement about the attack:

"I am devastated by the news today of two officers and an innocent bystander who were murdered in an act of senseless violence. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. I am receiving regular updates with regard to this tragedy and local and state law enforcement are assisting at the scene."

Gillespie said he had spoken with the families of the fallen officers.

"Of course, they're devastated," Gillespie said. "At a moment's notice they've lost their loved one. But we will be very close by and we will work very closely with them as we move forward through the grieving process."
 
#5 ·
gskip33 said:
Utah_patriot said:
Hearing that a ccw stopped the attack

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Source? Not attacking you in anyway I am just curious.
The article linked in the OP indicated it was reported that when the shooters went into walmart, they were engaged by a citizen carrying a concealed weapon, who wounded one of the shooters before being shot and killed.
 
#7 ·
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman called the attack "a senseless and cruel act killing three innocent people, two who dedicated their lives to protecting all of us in our community and one who was innocently going about her daily life. At UMC Trauma and thereafter with fellow officers, I saw their pain was evident and clear. Their resolve was greater than ever to serve our community with loyalty, dedication and to honor the memory of their two comrades and friends."
Looks like CCW holster was a woman.
 
#12 ·
From what I've read his actions stopped these murderers from continuing their planned killing spree.
 
#13 ·
Beretta96 said:
The Sheriff confirmed that the person killed was a CCW holder and went to confront the male when the female shot him from behind. He tried and it's too bad he didn't succeed. People including cops are calling him a hero.
This is a good example of why you should check your surroundings. Too bad the CFP holder was taken out. As well as the others who were murdered.

Sent from iSnurd
 
#14 ·
D-FIN said:
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman called the attack "a senseless and cruel act killing three innocent people, two who dedicated their lives to protecting all of us in our community and one who was innocently going about her daily life. At UMC Trauma and thereafter with fellow officers, I saw their pain was evident and clear. Their resolve was greater than ever to serve our community with loyalty, dedication and to honor the memory of their two comrades and friends."
Looks like CCW holster was a woman.
Story was updated to show:

(Clarification: This story has been modified to change the reference to the bystander who was killed inside Wal-Mart on Sunday. The victim was a man.)
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-v ... ill-police
 
#15 ·
Snurd said:
Beretta96 said:
The Sheriff confirmed that the person killed was a CCW holder and went to confront the male when the female shot him from behind. He tried and it's too bad he didn't succeed. People including cops are calling him a hero.
This is a good example of why you should check your surroundings. Too bad the CFP holder was taken out. As well as the others who were murdered.

Sent from iSnurd
Not sure what he could have checked for. 99% of shootings are done by solo perps. He drew down on the perp he saw who fired. The wife had a gun in her purse, and was pushing a shopping cart. Perfect ambush setup.

It's certainly a risk, but one quite difficult to anticipate or identify unless you're lucky.
 
#16 ·
bltdonahue said:
Not sure what he could have checked for. 99% of shootings are done by solo perps. He drew down on the perp he saw who fired. The wife had a gun in her purse, and was pushing a shopping cart. Perfect ambush setup.

It's certainly a risk, but one quite difficult to anticipate or identify unless you're lucky.
About the only way it could be avoided is to move to a better tactical position where you don't have people behind you but can still engage. It'd be hard to find that sort of position in a Walmart, even assuming you have the time.
 
#17 ·
I'm sure in the heat of the moment he didn't think it all through. A guy on the local board is an international protection specialist and he is always preaching about getting training so on situations like this you fall back on your training. He also lectures on situational awareness.
 
#18 ·
bltdonahue said:
Snurd said:
Beretta96 said:
The Sheriff confirmed that the person killed was a CCW holder and went to confront the male when the female shot him from behind. He tried and it's too bad he didn't succeed. People including cops are calling him a hero.
This is a good example of why you should check your surroundings. Too bad the CFP holder was taken out. As well as the others who were murdered.

Sent from iSnurd
Not sure what he could have checked for. 99% of shootings are done by solo perps. He drew down on the perp he saw who fired. The wife had a gun in her purse, and was pushing a shopping cart. Perfect ambush setup.

It's certainly a risk, but one quite difficult to anticipate or identify unless you're lucky.
There are a number of reports with different info. The only one I can find that says anything about the wife having a purse says that she had a .38 in her purse, but also carried an AR. If that is the case, it would be fairly easy to pick her out of the crowd.
With the different reports it is hard to know exactly what happened. The CFP holder didn't see the wife and was shot in the ribs, as far as I can tell from the articles. I don't know if the wife brought the AR into the Walmart or not, or even if she had one. It is possible that if he had taken a few more seconds, he may have noticed her as well. It is also possible that he didn't have time to look and only had time to engage the first shooter. We may not ever know.

Here is the article talking about the AR.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/vegas- ... ee-n125766
 
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