Suspect shot several times

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has initiated an active homicide investigation into the fatal shooting of a hostile gunman, which took place at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa at approximately 4:30pm on Sunday. Two of the resort’s security officers fired upon the suspect several times after he repeatedly aimed his gun at them.

The South Point property confirmed the incident, adding that it was cooperating with the authorities:

LVMPD officers were called to the 9777 Las Vegas Boulevard resort Sunday afternoon. According to police, the deceased is a white male believed to be 40-50 years of age and homeless, due to “the condition of his clothes and physical condition”. He was observed walking into the south Las Vegas boulevard property an hour before the incident occurred, which led authorities to conclude he was not a guest at the hotel. Investigations are ongoing.

Verbal commands ignored

South Point security received reports at around 4:30pm that a male was walking out of the casino holding a handgun. After shooting a round into the air in the valet area, he was immediately confronted by two of the resort’s security officers. According to the LVMPD, the suspect was walking back into the hotel when security “gave verbal commands”, which the gunman did not comply with.  

the entire time the suspect is holding the gun and aiming at the security officers”

“At that point, there was about a 30 second timeframe in which the security officers engaged him, the entire time the suspect is holding the gun and aiming at the security officers”, said LVMPD homicide lieutenant Ray Spencer.

He added that, from watching the video, the officers “showed a tremendous amount of restraint”, as they were concerned their backdrop was the valet area. Eventually they managed to maneuver themselves into a position backdropped by the hotel building. When the suspect resumed aiming his gun at the security personnel, they “engaged him with multiple rounds, striking and killing the suspect.”

Sin City violence on the rise

While Spencer praised the South Point Hotel-Casino’s security team for doing a “phenomenal job”, violent crimes in the Convention Center Area Command (CCAC) are reportedly up 0.71% since 2019. According to News 3LV, authorities have also observed a major 28.98% surge in aggravated assaults in the CCAC alone, an area that encapsulates most of the resorts on Sin City’s boulevard.

a major 28.98% surge in aggravated assaults in the CCAC alone

On October 2, a shot was harmlessly discharged earthward as two men tussled for a gun on the floor of the MGM Grand Casino. The incident brought unwanted attention to the hospitality and casino giant linked with the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.

MGM Resorts International has faced dozens of lawsuits in relation to the October 1, 2017 shooting at its Mandalay Bay casino-resort property. The case saw gunman Stephen Paddock open fire on a crowd of 20,000 concertgoers from his room on the 32nd floor before killing himself. Last week, the operator agreed to pay $800m in compensation to more than 4,400 victims and relatives.