Heart-pounding bodycam footage was released on Friday that showed two officers handling a standoff situation. As a shootout ensues, one officer is injured, and the suspect is left dead from a headshot. The bodycam footage is just another reminder to civilians and law enforcement alike how quickly a situation can go from mundane to deadly.
Las Vegas Officer Richard Nelson, 33, and his partner, who has yet to be named, approached Miguel Salas’ vehicle after he was stopped over a possible stolen cell phone, according to The Daily Mail.
The footage shows Salas arguing with the two officers for about two minutes. The officers asked Salas to get out of his vehicle multiple times, and at one point, Nelson tried to open the door of the 25-year-old’s vehicle, only to have the suspect slam the door shut again.
As tension on both sides continues to rise, Salas can be seen moving around in his vehicle acting fidgety. Nelson calls for backup as he and his partner are concerned with Salas’ increasingly erratic behavior.
Salas then pulls out a .40 handgun that he was hiding inside his vehicle and begins to shoot at the two Las Vegas police officers. Nelson and his partner return fire, hitting Salas in the head and killing him instantly.
Nelson can be heard radioing, “Shots fired! I’ve been hit! Shots fired, I’ve been hit!” He can be heard coughing repeatedly and sounds shaken. Shortly after calling his situation in, Nelson is helped into a fellow officer’s car and taken to the hospital.
Metro Police Sgt. Jeff Clark told Fox5, that the father of four was wearing his bullet proof vest when he was hit in the lower chest and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Clark added that Nelson was “doing okay.”
Nelson’s partner was also hit, but his utility belt stopped a bullet from seriously injuring him. Nelson has been an officer since 2009 and is recovering from his injuries. He was placed on paid administrative leave pending a routine investigation following the shooting.
Source: Tribunist
