Metro Police today identified two SWAT officers they say shot and killed a slaying suspect in a house near Flamingo Road and Tenaya Way hours after officers discovered two bodies next door.
The officers are Kai Hoskins, 32, and Levi Hancock, 43, police said. An expanded police briefing was scheduled for this afternoon.
Hoskins and Hancock were part of a team that broke down a locked, second-story door in the 7200 block of Newcrest Circle and encountered the suspect grappling with a police dog they’d sent in, police said.
Police allege the man rolled away and pointed a gun toward the officers, prompting Hoskins and Hancock to fire about 2:15 a.m. Wednesday.
The incident began about 12 hours earlier when police received a call about a man’s body on a front lawn next door to where the suspect was shot, police said. Investigators went inside and found a second man’s body. The victims were only identified as being in their 40s and 50s.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the house where the suspect was hiding, police said. A SWAT team was summoned about 9 p.m., and when no one came to the door, officers entered the house, police said.
After clearing the first floor, officers moved upstairs, where they encountered a locked bedroom, police said. They broke down the door and sent in a police dog.
When the animal didn’t come out after several minutes, the officers went into the room and shot the suspect, police said. The suspect died at University Medical Center.
Hoskins was hired by Metro in 2006, and Hancock has been with the department since 2001. They were placed on paid administrative leave — standard practice in shootings involving officers — while the investigation continues.