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Before Henderson Police shot an unarmed man earlier this month, the suspect had tried to rob two men at gunpoint, one of whom he kidnapped, before he led officers on a high-speed chase, according to 911 recordings and video footage released by the department Thursday night.
On Oct. 15, David Flores Jr. pulled over next to a pedestrian and pulled out a gun, telling him to get into his Jeep, police said.
Once inside, Flores told the victim, who was walking home from work, that he was recently released from jail, the 911 dispatcher told officers. Flores also told him he was joking around about hurting him, police said.
The victim called 911 about 6:20 p.m., when he fled captivity after Flores stopped to pump gas at Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway, police said.
Shortly after, Flores approached an 80-year-old man at a nearby park. The man was feeding his dog chicken nuggets when Flores “stuck” a gun to his face and demanded cash, which the victim didn’t have, he told police.
“I didn’t know what to do,” said the elderly man, describing the gunman as a young Hispanic man.
Officers didn’t know about the second incident until after the shooting, Henderson Police Deputy Chief Michael Denning said in the video briefing released Thursday.
But police were already on the lookout for a black, older-model Jeep, which Officer Scott Alward spotted in the area, police said. When Alward tried to pull Flores over, he sped away.
In the 3-mile chase, Flores drove recklessly, speeding, running red lights and losing a couple of tires, footage shows.
Eventually, he collided with a car at Boulder Highway and Galleria Road.
As Flores was exiting the Jeep, Alward opened fire, Denning said. When Flores ran toward the occupied car he'd crashed into, Alward fired a second volley of gunfire.
Alward shot a total of 14 rounds, striking Flores seven times, Denning said. Flores is expected to recover.
Unbeknown to officers, Flores had ditched his .45-caliber gun during the chase. An officer reported seeing him holding it as he was speeding away, Denning said.
Flores is facing counts of kidnapping, robbery, assault on an officer, possessing a gun with a serial number removed, being a felon in possession of a gun, endangerment and disobeying traffic laws, Denning said.