ELKO — An Elko police officer shot and killed a 24-year-old man during a domestic dispute — the first officer-involved shooting in the rural northeast Nevada town in more than 15 years.
The man and a woman were fighting over a rifle when police responded to a report of domestic violence at a home about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Elko Police Chief Ben Reed said.
The man, who hasn’t been identified, got control of the gun and then ignored police commands to drop the weapon. That’s when the officer fired several shots at the man, hitting him in the arm and lower extremities, Reed told the Elko Daily Free Press.
The victim was taken to Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, where he died several hours later. The woman in the altercation was not seriously injured.
The Nevada Department of Public Safety and Washoe County Crime Lab were investigating the case on Monday.
“It’s going to take some time to sort all this out,” Police Lt. Rich Genseal told the newspaper.
Reed said the last officer-involved shooting in Elko was in 1998, when former Police Chief Mike Smith shot and killed an Indiana man who was holding a 16-year-old girl hostage on a Greyhound bus on West Idaho Street.
Reed encouraged anyone with any information about Sunday’s shooting, or the people involved, to contact Elko police at 775-777-7300.
“Every little tidbit of information helps show the total picture,” he said.
Reed said officers responded to the incident within three minutes of a 911 call, which he said they believe came from a neighbor, not from inside the home.
No other officers were involved in the shooting, although several responded to the scene, Genseal said.
The officer who shot the man has been placed on paid administrative leave pending conclusion of the investigation. He has worked for the department for three years, Reed said.
