South Point Casino Security Fatally Shoots Armed Man, Las Vegas Strip Violence Continues

Las Vegas’ South Point Hotel Casino was the scene of a fatal shooting late Sunday afternoon, as security officers shot an armed man. The man had fired a gun in the air and refused to drop the firearm outside of the gaming property, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The unidentified man had fired a shot near the casino’s valet area, according to the report. He also had entered and exited the casino.

He kept brandishing a handgun and then pointed it at two security guards outside of the building, the Review-Journal said. He allegedly refused to drop the weapon during the stand-off with security officers. The officers then fatally wounded the man, police said.

The gun apparently malfunctioned at one point, KSNV-TV, a local station reported, based on police statements.

In a press conference later on Sunday, Metro Police Lt. Raymond Spencer praised the security officers at the South Point Hotel Casino, KSNV reported.

Those security officers showed a tremendous amount of strength due to the fact that there were concerns for their backdrop, being the valet area of the hotel,” Spencer was quoted by the Review-Journal.

There was some speculation the fatally wounded man may have been homeless and in his 40s, the Review-Journal said.

Police were notified about the shooting at 4:09 pm PT. Casino operations were briefly impacted by the standoff.

It was the latest gun-related violence on or along the Strip in recent weeks. Earlier incidents took place at multiple gaming properties.

Last month, an occupant in a passing car fired a gun into a crowd in a parking lot near the Stage Door Casino in Las Vegas. The trio of wounded victims required treatment at a local hospital.

Three men later were arrested for the . The Stage Door features video poker and slot machines.

Last month, another person was shot in the leg following a fight near the Aria Resort Casino. She suffered minor injuries. That shooting took place during a birthday party held for MoneyBagg Yo, according to social media posts. The rapper has denied any ties to the incident.

Earlier, another victim was shot five times during a fight in front of Paris Las Vegas. That person and a second victim are recovering from injuries.

On Friday, a shot was fired into the gaming floor during a struggle over a handgun. Last week, a man was hospitalized and a suspect was arrested after still another shooting on the Las Vegas Strip.

The shooting took place after a fight among five to 10 men on a sidewalk between the LINQ and Flamingo hotel-casinos, according to news accounts. One man pulled a handgun out, firing a shot and hitting the victim in the upper torso, police said. For several hours after the shooting, the hotel-casino was on lockdown.

The Metro Police Department’s Convention Center Area Command, which includes most of the resorts on The Strip, reported a recent increase of slightly less than 29 percent in aggravated assaults as of last month.

During a press conference last week, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) blamed much of the increase in crime on out-of-town visitors, television station KSNV reported. I have the utmost confidence in Sheriff Lombardo and the men and women of Metro to be able to be out in front of this and get a handle on this.

Police have upped their patrols along The Strip in response to the increasing crime.

In an unrelated incident, the Pascua Yaqui Police Department confirmed an officer-involved shooting took place at Arizona’s Casino of the Sun Saturday afternoon, KVOA, a local TV station in Tucson, reported.

One person was arrested and taken to a local hospital for evaluation, the report said. Apparently, there were no other injuries.