LAUGHLIN, Nev. (AP) - A man shot and killed by Las Vegas police in the Colorado River resort town of Laughlin botched two casino robberies within 30 minutes and had a gun in his hand when he got out of a vehicle after a nearly seven-hour standoff, police said Monday.
Cashiers at both the Golden Nugget Laughlin Hotel and the Aquarius Casino Resort refused to hand over cash even though the man placed a handgun on the counter in both attempted robberies, about 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., Las Vegas police Capt. Nichole Splinter said.
The man, whose name, age and hometown were not immediately made public, fired one shot toward a security guard who followed him out of the Aquarius toward a parked vehicle, Splinter said. The guard wasn’t injured.
Police surrounded the man in the vehicle and tried for several hours to talk him into surrendering before SWAT officers arrived.
Splinter says the man had a gun in his hand and was getting out of the vehicle after 7 a.m. when he was shot and killed by officers.
The names of the officers who fired shots were not immediately disclosed. They will be on paid leave pending the results of departmental and district attorney reviews of the shooting.
Las Vegas police cover most of Clark County including Laughlin, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Las Vegas. The city is across the river from Bullhead City, Arizona.
The Aquarius has two 18-floor towers and about 1,900 rooms. The Golden Nugget has about 300 rooms.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.