LAS VEGAS (AP) - A suspect fatally shot last week during a traffic stop in Las Vegas had asked to be shot before pulling a rifle out of his car, police said.
The suspect told Sgt. Timothy Stovall that he had been having family issues and wanted to be shot, the Las Vegas Police Department reported.
The Clark County coroner’s office identified the man as 38-year-old Jesus Caballero-Herrera.
Stovall reported a reckless driver on Interstate 15, and pulled the vehicle over northeast of Las Vegas Valley. Stovall was in an unmarked department vehicle out of uniform as part of the Gangs Vice Bureau, Investigative Services Division.
Caballero-Herrera told Stovall he had a rifle in the car and asked to be shot, police said. The two spoke for about six minutes before Caballero-Herrera grabbed his rifle and pointed it at Stovall, who opened fire.
Caballero-Herrera did not fire his weapon, and Stovall fired nine rounds, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Arriving officers attempted to treat Caballero-Herrera before he was taken to University Medical Center, where he later died, KSNV-TV reported.
Stovall was not required to wear a body camera because he works as a plainclothes officer. Stovall was placed on routine paid administrative leave pending an investigation. He has been with the department since 2001.
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