Nevada State Parks sees first-ever shooting involving officer at Valley of Fire

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Officials with Nevada State Parks said they saw their first shooting involving an officer in its history this year.

The shooting happened the afternoon of Wednesday, July 12 around 12:05 p.m. on Valley of Fire highway.

The day of the shooting, the park closed it’s doors but reopened the next Friday.

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Bob Mergell, a Nevada Division of State Parks administrator, revealed more details as to what happened that day.

He said a male who was driving a 2003 Toyota Sedan entered the park around 10:05 a.m. based on a receipt. Later on, the ranger initiated a traffic stop.

During the traffic stop, Mergell said both the ranger and the driver of the sedan exited their vehicles. The male was armed with a kitchen knife.

According to the briefing, the suspect did not answer to commands to drop the knife while the ranger also attempted to back away. Mergell said the armed suspect charged at the ranger, forcing him to use his handgun.

The shooting struck the suspect. Around 12:05 p.m., the officer got on his radio and requested additional resources. Mergell said medical assistance from Moapa Valley arrived around 12:34 p.m., but the suspect already passed away.

He says the investigation remains open. However, investigation by the Department of Public Safety revealed that the male suspect had notes in his vehicle about taking his life. He also had injuries to his neck that matched the kitchen knife he was armed with.

Mergell said there is no dash cam or body camera footage as rangers are not required to have one.

The briefing did not explain the reason for the traffic stop.

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