Crime tape cordons off the parking lot of the Wal-Mart where officers confronted an armed theft suspect in Sept. 2011. (Armando Navarro/FOX5)LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
Five Las Vegas Metro police officers are set to receive national recognition Monday for their handling of a shootout involving a fraud suspect at a Wal-Mart last year.
Metro said Officers Beaumont Hopson, Cory Staheli, John Abel, Michael Ramirez and David Williams will receive TOP COPS Awards from the National Association of Police Organizations in Washington.
Two of the officers were called to a Wal-Mart store on Rainbow Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road on Sept. 9, 2011.
Those two were questioning a man suspected of credit card fraud when he pulled out a gun and fired at the officers.
Three other officers assisted in a shootout against the suspect, Marc Hull, 25.
Officer Ramirez was shot in the forearm elbow, bicep and upper chest, Metro said, but he survived.
Hull was shot dead.
According to police, Hull and his girlfriend tried purchasing $4,000 worth of items, mainly from the electronics department, with a deceased man's credit card. It wasn't until the card declined that police were called to the store and the confrontation ensued.
The five were nominated by fellow officers for the recognition. Metro said the TOP COPS Award recognizes officers for actions "above and beyond the call of duty."
Officers from the top 10 cases from 2011 were selected for the honor, Metro said.
Copyright 2012 KVVU (KVVU Broadcasting Corporation). All rights reserved.
