Two masked robbers were shot, one fatally, Wednesday night when their ruse was thwarted by a medical office employee with a handgun, Las Vegas police said.

Metro investigates a thwarted robbery that left one suspected robber dead and another on the run Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 in the 2800 block of Charleston Boulevard. (Ricardo Torres/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Metro investigates a thwarted robbery that left one suspected robber dead and another on the run Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 in the 2800 block of Charleston Boulevard. (Ricardo Torres/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Metro investigates a thwarted robbery that left one suspected robber dead and another on the run Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 in the 2800 block of Charleston Boulevard. (Ricardo Torres/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Metro investigates a thwarted robbery that left one suspected robber dead and another on the run Wednesday Nov. 16, 2015 in the 2800 block of Charleston Boulevard. (Ricardo Torres/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Two masked robbers were shot, one fatally, Wednesday night when their ruse was thwarted by a dental office employee with a handgun, Las Vegas police said.

A woman and a man, who covered their faces with ski masks, were wounded, Metro Lt. Dan McGrath said. The woman later died at University Medical Center and the man, who left a trail of blood, was on the run late Wednesday night.

Emergency crews were called about 7:15 p.m. to a dental office at 2801 W. Charleston Blvd., near the intersection of Rancho Road, McGrath said.

The two robbers forced their way into the office and held a patient and an employee at gunpoint while they asked for money, McGrath said. The man was armed, and the pair was also possibly seeking narcotics, police said.

At some point a doctor was pistol-whipped, and the employee was able to run to his vehicle, get a handgun and confront the pair as they fled through stairs, said McGrath. It wasn’t immediately clear what happened next, but the man fired rounds at the pair, fatally striking the woman and wounding the man.

The man, described as being black, wearing dark clothing, and standing between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-8, ran and left a trail of blood around the building, McGrath said.

The office was about to close, and the woman was possibly a former patient, although medical records have to be examined before that can be confirmed, McGrath said.

The crime scene is complex, and the investigation late Wednesday night was still in its beginning stages, McGrath said. The employee who fired shots was cooperating with detectives, he added.

This was the 126th homicide investigation of 2015 in Metro’s jurisdiction.

Anyone with any information about this event can contact the homicide section at 702-828-3521 orhomicide@lvmpd.com. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 orwww.crimestoppersofnv.com. Tips leading directly to an arrest or indictment processed through Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward.

Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites