LAS VEGAS, NV - It was a busy week for police in Las Vegas after two officer-involved shootings in Sin City this past week. In both cases, the suspects were not fatally shot, according to the Las Vegas Sun. All told, the city has seen seven officer-involved shootings this year, with five of them being fatal.
Assistant Sheriff Yasenia Yatomi told reporters that while this past week was filled with “a really high number of critical incidents,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s (LVMPD) officers were doing their best to protect the community and themselves.
“Our officers are out there, as the sheriff has said, in over 100-degree heat, working very hard to keep this community safe and to do amazing work,” Yatomi said in a Friday press conference.
On June 25, police responded to a home invasion at two residences where the suspect, Matthew Tindall, 41, attempted to stab several residents. The motive behind the home invasions was not known.
Just before 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, June 25, Tindall broke into a home and attempted to stab the two residents inside. They fought Tindall off with furniture, and he then fled into the backyard.
After police arrived, they heard screams coming from an adjacent home. Officers went to that home and confronted Tindall, who was engaged in an altercation with a male resident while three others watched in terror. Tindall was armed with a knife.
According to bodycam footage provided by LVMPD, officers commanded Tindall to drop the knife. When Tindall raised the knife, he was shot by Officer Miguel Rodriguez at least once among five shots. Police provided first aid until EMS arrived and is expected to fully recover. He has been charged with attempted murder and home invasion, as well as battery with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer with a deadly weapon.
Of the residents, one suffered superficial stab wounds, while the others were uninjured.
The incident left neighbors understandably upset.
“I heard some gunshots,” Ernesto Garcia said. “And I was like what the hell was that?” he told 8 News. “I just came out and saw all the cops out here,” Garcia told the outlet.
For Garcia, he was glad that the situation wasn’t worse.
‘We gotta be careful,” Garcia said. “You never know who is trying to do something to you. It’s pretty dangerous out here now."
Meanwhile, the next day another man was shot by officers outside a fast food restaurant after charging officers with a box cutter and a knife who appeared to be attempting suicide by cop, yelling, “shoot me, shoot me!” according to body cam footage.
Police contacted 62-year-old Robert Kunhart after receiving a call from a Jack in the Box employee just before 5:00 a.m. on June 26. The caller said Kunhart was threatening customers with a knife, leading to a response of several officers to the scene.
Camera footage shown by police showed officers confronting Kunhart, and commanding him to drop the weapons. Kunhart rushed to the front of the building, where officers shot him with two tasers and a less than lethal beanbag round, none which had any effect on him. Kunhart then charged at one officer, yelling “shoot me.”
Sgt. Ashley Ravelo fired one round at Kunhart, with officer Patino firing five rounds, several which appeared to strike Kunhart. Police provided medical aid until EMS arrived and transported him to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
Kindall has been charged with two counts of attempted murder of a protected person and resisting an officer with a deadly weapon.
No officers were injured in either incident.
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