LAS VEGAS (AP) - A man killed by gunfire from a Las Vegas police officer and three shooting range employees tried to steal a gun inside the facility before attacking and wounding the officer’s patrol partner with a screwdriver in the parking lot, a police official said.
Marvin Payton Jr., 27, was shot 14 times and died Friday outside Range 702, Assistant Clark County Sheriff Brett Zimmerman told reporters Monday.
Payton’s hometown was not provided in a Clark County coroner report.
Police Officer Andrew Nguyen fired nine shots. It was not clear how many shots the employees fired, Zimmerman said.
The injured officer was treated at a hospital and is recovering from stab wounds and a broken facial bone. Her name wasn’t made public.
Nguyen, 34, a police officer since 2018, was put on paid leave pending departmental and district attorney reviews of the shooting.
The names of the employees involved in the shooting were not made public. They have not been charged with a crime.
“Their involvement actually helped our officer and could have saved our officer’s life,” Zimmerman said.
Surveillance video made public by police showed the fatal encounter unfolded quickly, and Zimmerman said the officers didn’t activate body-worn video cameras.
Police were called after a gun owner taking a class reported that Payton tried to steal his gun from a bag, Zimmerman said.
Several employees accompanied Payton outside, where video shows Payton wielding the screwdriver and swinging at the officers, striking one.
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