LVMPD releases details on police killing near UNLV

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The Las Vegas community is in mourning after longtime Metro Police Officer Truong Thai was killed in the line of duty by gunfire early Thursday. In the meantime, a bystander is recovering from also being shot, and a suspect is in custody.

The shooting happened near University Center and Flamingo Road around 1 a.m. Thursday. The suspect, who has been identified as 24-year-old Tyson Hampton, then took off and was arrested near Desert Inn and Eastern, according to police.

Truong Thai was 49 years old and had been working for Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department since 1999.

The bystander who was shot is recovering from injuries that are said to be non-life-threatening.

The incident began when police responded to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance near the border of UNLV’s campus, near the Stan Fulton building. Officer Thai and another officer arrived and made contact with the suspect, according to police, who began firing shots at the officers.

Both responding officers discharged their duty weapons, according to Metro. That is when Officer Thai was struck.

“Officer Thai suffered a gunshot wound to his torso,” said Sheriff Joe Lombardo. “Both [the officer and the civilian] were transported to local hospitals.”

Then, Hampton, who police say had a handgun, managed to flee.

Officers later located him, with the assistance of a K9 unit, in the area near Eastern and Desert Inn.

Hampton refused to comply with officers’ commands when he got out of the vehicle, according to Lombardo.

“This is when K9 was released. He was subsequently taken into custody and received minor injuries,” said Lombardo.

A hostess at the nearby Italian restaurant Buca di Beppo was shocked to see a face she recognized on the news Thursday morning.

“He would come in here and he would order takeout from us all the time,” said Nicole Castro. “He’s a very nice guy... always pleasant. He would talk about his daughter sometimes when he was off-duty.”

Thai died at Sunrise Hospital.

This was Metro’s 10th police-involved shooting of 2022.

Flamingo Road near UNLV is now reopened to traffic.

Hampton has yet to show up in Clark County Detention Center’s booking log, however, according to Metro, it can take some time for the suspect to process and show up in custody. Accordingly, a hearing won’t be set until he’s officially booked, so it is still unknown at this point when he will be in court.

FOX5 will continue following this. Stay with us for updates.