Metro Police officer shot during protest on Las Vegas Strip still in grave condition

Image

Steve Marcus

Metro Police Assistant Sheriff Chris Jones speaks by a photo of Metro Police officer Shay K. Mikalonis, 29, a four-year veteran of the department, during a media briefing at police headquarters Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Mikalonis was shot near Circus Circus Monday night, June 1, 2020, during a George Floyd protest.

Published Tue, Jun 2, 2020 (2:56 p.m.)

Updated Tue, Jun 2, 2020 (6:47 p.m.)

Edgar Samaniego

Edgar Samaniego

Metro Briefing on Protest Shootings

A photo of Metro Police officer Shay K. Mikalonis, 29, a four-year veteran of the department, is displayed during a media briefing at Las Vegas Metro Police Headquarters Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Mikalonis was shot near Circus Circus Monday night, June 1, 2020, during a George Floyd protest. Launch slideshow »

George Floyd Protest Night Four

A protester carries a bat Monday, June 1, 2020, in Las Vegas, during the fourth day of demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after he was pinned at the neck by a Minneapolis police officer. YASMINA CHAVEZ Launch slideshow »

Dispersed agitators at the Black Lives Matter protest late Monday night began hurling rocks and bottles at police officers stationed in front of a Las Vegas Strip property. As officers tried to make arrests, a gunman standing across the street fired a single gunshot, striking and critically injuring Metro Police Officer Shay Mikalonis, 29.

On Tuesday afternoon, the fourth-year police officer remained gravely injured at University Medical Center, and on life-support, Clark County Assistant Sheriff Chris Jones said. His alleged shooter, 20-year-old Edgar Samaniego, is jailed on multiple counts, including attempted murder.

The shooting was one of two on the tourist corridor linked to a large demonstration organized to demand the end of police brutality following the killing last week of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

In the second shooting about 3 miles north, officers opened fire on Jorge Gomez, 25, near the Foley Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, Jones said. Jones said that after officers began dispersing the crowd, Gomez confronted Metro and federal officers stationed near a stairway in the building.

He ignored commands to walk away, and an officer fired a less-lethal shotgun round at him to make him disperse. Gomez, who was open-carrying three firearms, took off running north, and lifted one of his guns in officers’ direction, Jones said. They opened fire to produce a second shooting scene, this one on Bridger Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.

Gomez, who was wearing a tactical vest, was captured in Sun video and photographs holding a sign that mentions President Donald Trump, the terms “jail” “change” and “2A,” short for the Second Amendment.

Police believe Gomez attended the protest alone. His only other prior arrest was for drugs, Jones said. The shootings occurred almost simultaneously after 11 p.m.

Homicide detectives investigating Mikalonis’ shooting identified Samaniego through footage. He was arrested a couple of hours later by SWAT officers at a nearby motel. He was being held at the Clark County Detention Center on one count of attempted murder and two counts of firing a weapon where persons might be endangered, jail logs show. He’s scheduled to appear in court today.

“What we’re seeing is not indicative of the community, at least over the last 27 years, nor does it look like the community we all know and love,” Clark County Deputy Chief James Seebok said of the increasingly violent protests in Las Vegas. Hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested and more than 25 officers have been injured.

“Over the last few days, these protests start out peacefully, with all the good intentions for significant change to spark the conversation” about police-community relations, he said.

But as the nights have progressed, police in riot gear have resorted to tear gas and non-lethal pepper rounds to try to get protesters to leave.

Seebok said most protesters have followed the law, but that after they disperse, bad actors stick around to wreak havoc. There were more than 300 arrests in the initial three days of protests, not including Monday.

Metro showed footage of purported protesters burning a police SUV following Saturday’s broken-up protest downtown. Someone filmed them grabbing a red gas canister hidden in a sidewalk plant, pouring liquid in the vehicle and sparking a fire before taking off.

In another video, protesters are pleading with agitators to stop breaking the glass doors at one of the downtown courthouses.

“These people are clearly not here for peaceful purposes,” Seebok said about the agitators. “They’re set on damaging our community, our businesses and to cause harm to our officers, and the people in the area.”

Jones didn’t say whether Metro supports a curfew proposed Tuesday by Las Vegas City Councilman Stavros Anthony, but said the Nevada National Guard would join officers at future protests.

The Las Vegas officer wasn’t the only law enforcement member to be shot Monday during the Floyd protests.

Four St. Louis officers standing near a protest line didn’t hear anything but suddenly felt pain and realized they were shot. The officers sustained gunshot wounds to their limbs and were expected to be OK, according to police.

In a briefing, St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden said that a couple thousand demonstrators had protested peacefully earlier in the day, but that later a group of about 200 people showed up with “no intention to be constructive.”

The group began looting and hurling objects at police, he said.

“Thank God they’re alive,” said Hayden, who is black. “Can we make some sense of this?”

It’s the same outcome Metro was hoping for Officer Mikalonis. Local, state and federal officials have sent out statements in support of the injured officer.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo was one of the first to speak. Teary eyed, he said, “This is a sad night for the (Metro Police) family, and a tragic night for our community. With these protests, which are leading to riots, one tragedy is only leading to another.”

ricardo.torrescortez@gmg vegas.com / 702-259-2330 / @rickytwrites

Back to top

SHARE