Man accused of shooting police officer on Las Vegas Strip during protests identified
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A police officer is in critical condition and a suspect is dead after two separate shootings late Monday night that followed protests in Las Vegas.
In a press conference early Tuesday morning, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said there was an attempt to disperse a crowd in front of the Circus Circus when some people began throwing rocks and bottles.
As officers tried to take people into custody, a shot rang out and an officer went down, Lombardo said. That officer, later identified as 29-year-old Shay Mikalonis, was still in grave condition as of Tuesday afternoon, Assistant Sheriff Chris Jones said.
A suspect was identified and taken into custody by SWAT and K9 units early Tuesday morning, according to Lombardo.
The suspect has been identified as 20-year-old Edgar Samaniego.
According to LVMPD, when detectives responded to the scene, video surveillance of the suspect was located showing Samaniego firing a handgun at the officers while walking down the street.
Samaniego was tracked to a motel nearby, and SWAT officers responded and took him into custody.
He faces one count of attempted murder on a police officer and two counts of unlawfully discharging a firearm. He is due in court on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. for an initial appearance.
"This is a sad night for LVMPD family and a tragic night for our community," Lombardo said.
In a separate scene, just after 11:20 p.m., local and federal officers posted outside the Foley Federal Building in downtown Las Vegas encountered a man armed with multiple firearms and wearing what appeared to be body armor.
Lombardo said the man reached for a firearm during the encounter and officers "engaged him." The suspect was hit by gunfire and taken to UMC Trauma, where he was pronounced dead.
Jones identified him Tuesday as 25-year-old Jorge Gomez, saying he was armed with two pistols and a third pistol inserted into a carbine conversion kit.
LVMPD said it would release the names of the officers in the shooting outside the federal building 48 hours after the incident, per the department's protocol for officer-involved shootings.
"What has occurred is utterly, utterly unacceptable," Lombardo said. "I hope the community sees it that way too."
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a tweet that his office was notified of the incidents and the state is in contact with law enforcement.
