Report: Suspect was on drugs, armed with rifle during shootout with North Las Vegas police

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - North Las Vegas Police said they shot a suspect accused of pointing a gun at multiple people, including officers.

The incident happened around 9:07 p.m. last Saturday near Craig Road and N. 5th Street.

“I was scared, honestly, terrified,” said Cheyenne Jefferson-Poole, who works in the area. “Because I was supposed to be off around the time that it happened.”

According to NLVPD, there was a four-vehicle crash in the area and the driver of a silver Chevrolet Malibu was accused of causing the crash. Witnesses said the driver was armed and threatened people who approached the vehicle.

Police said first responders with the North Las Vegas Fire Department were also threatened with the gun as they tried to help the driver.

“The guy just reacted wrong to the officers and to the people who were trying to help him, and so it led to a sad, sad incident,” said Asha, who lives in the area.

NLVPD said they attempted to have the male driver drop the gun and exit the vehicle unarmed, but said the suspect ignored their commands and raised the gun toward several officers.

“He wasn’t probably in the right state of mind to realize that, ‘I’ve been in a crash that I caused,’ or however he had done that, and just reacted the wrong way, and it’s really sad,” said Asha.

NLVPD said seven officers shot at the suspect, and he was pronounced dead at the scene due to multiple gunshot wounds. The Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the suspect as Julian McCoy, 57. A preliminary toxicology screening on the suspect was positive for cocaine, ethanol, fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Police recovered the suspect’s weapon, a Browning BL-22 rifle, from his vehicle. It was reportedly loaded with 15 bullets. Officers also found alcohol and drug paraphernalia in his car.

The officers involved and the year they were hired by the department are as follows:

• Officer Darren Rigsby, 2017
• Officer Alexandre Chevalier, 2021
• Officer Logan Guerin, 2021
• Officer Christopher Dellorco, 2022
• Officer Timothy Barnes, 2023
• Officer Rodrigo Garcia, 2023
• Officer Robert Ryan, 2023

The officers were placed on paid administrative leave per department policy, pending the outcome of an investigation. The shooting is the second NLVPD officer-involved shooting in 2024.

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