By Casey Harrison
Source Las Vegas Sun
A 29-year-old man is in police custody after he was shot by a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper during an altercation near the Red Rock Canyon entrance, officials said Thursday.
The man's identity was not released, NHP spokesman Travis Smaka said in a news briefing. The shooting occurred at the parking lot of the visitor's center, and the suspect was immediately rendered aid and transported to University Medical Center by ambulance.
The man was in stable condition when NHP took him into custody, Smaka said. No officers were injured. Officers were told during the initial call that the man was possibly armed, Smaka said.
Police received a call around 6:35 a.m. of a man in distress driving a black Toyota Tacoma near the loop, NHP spokesman Travis Smaka said in a news briefing. Witnesses told police the man struck a fence at a nearby campground.
Metro Police, Bureau of Land Management police and NHP all responded to the call, Smaka said. Officers and troopers made contact with the man, who then "rammed multiple law enforcement-marked vehicles," Smaka said. At 7:09 a.m., shots were fired by "several officers," including state officers, striking the suspect. Smaka did not say how many officers from each agency were involved, nor the number of rounds fired.
The scenic loop of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area would likely be closed for most of the day while investigators continue to probe the area, Smaka said. Metro's Force Investigations team is conducting the investigation. No other details were released.
"It's a dynamic situation with multiple agencies involved," Smaka said. "It's gonna take some time for this investigation to work out."
A briefing will be held early next week to reveal more details about the shooting.
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