Sheriff says man shot by officer unarmed, ‘tough questions’ will be asked

Metro officer shoots, kills suspect KSNV coverage of Metro police shooting and killing a man outside a condominium complex in the northwest valley, Dec. 12, 2011.

Fatal police shooting

A man shot to death by a Metro Police officer early Monday was unarmed and in a car that had been pinned between at least two unoccupied patrol cars, Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie said.

Gillespie, who conducted a press briefing Monday afternoon, said the investigation into the incident is ongoing and did not speculate about why the officer opened fire.

He said he wanted the community to know he is there to ask the “tough questions” about what happened.

Police said they encountered the man after responding to a call of a person trying to get into a northwest valley home.

“A suspect was shot and killed by one of my officers,” Gillespie said. “Any time we have a fatal use of law enforcement, it’s a sad day.”

MyNews3.com identified the man as Stanley Gibson, whose wife, Rondha, said he was battling post-traumatic stress disorder and brain cancer from serving in the Gulf War.

"He would go into paranoid delusions, thinking people were after him," she said. "He would get scared. He would get severe anxiety."

The man was shot after police initially responded to a report about 11:30 p.m. Sunday of a man trying to get into a unit at the Alondra Condos, 2451 N. Rainbow Blvd, near Smoke Ranch Road, Metro spokesman Bill Cassell said.

The man had fled by the time officers arrived, but the caller gave police a description of him and his vehicle, Cassell said.

The man returned shortly before 1 a.m. Monday, while police were still there, and there was an altercation when officers approached him, Cassell said.

The man refused to surrender and rammed his vehicle into at least one patrol car, Cassell said. Officers continued trying to get the man to give up, but he refused, Cassell said.

At least one officer fired several rounds, which struck and killed the man, Cassell said.

It’s unclear what prompted police to shoot. No officers were injured during the altercation, Cassell said.

Rondha Gibson said her husband had been unable to get his medication to control his anxiety and that he called her in a state of confusion Sunday night, thinking he was home while he was at the neighboring condominium complex. She also said Metro was supposed to have him under a three-day psychiatric watch this past weekend, but police have not confirmed that.

The officers involved in the shooting will be placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure. Their identities will be released within 48 hours.

Within 72 hours, the officer who opened fired will give a statement about the incident, Gillespie said.

The shooting was the 18th officer-involved shooting in Metro's jurisdiction this year.