41-year-old shot, killed following reported burglary
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Three Las Vegas Metro police officers fired a combined 11 rounds at a man after he pointed a gun, later determined to be a starter pistol, at them, officials said Thursday.
Michael Allensworth, 41, was shot and killed in the shooting Monday at a mobile home park in the 2000 block of Palm Street.
Police had responded to a burglary in progress with Allensworth armed with a starter pistol, they said. Police worked for nearly a half-hour to deescalate the situation, asking Allensworth to drop his weapon several times.
Allensworth had jammed bullets into the pistol, which cannot fire ammunition, police said.
Body camera video released Thursday showed Allensworth raising a pistol toward officers before they fired at him.
Allensworth was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Police said the burglary had occurred at another mobile home in the park.
“I will tell you what we have learned from speaking with the homeowner of the trailer that was burglarized is that there had been an interaction the day before and it appears that Allensworth came back to the trailer the next day to have a confrontation with the homeowner of the trailer that was being burglarized,” LVMPD Asst. Sheriff Andrew Walsh said.
The shooting marked Metro’s fifth officer-involved shooting for 2022. At this time last year, there had been three such events.
The officers involved were identified as 27-year-old James Villareal, 25-year-old Johnathan Cole and 31-year-old Beau Cooley. They were placed on routine paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a review of the incident.