Update: Officials ID Utah man killed in West Wendover officer involved shooting

File photo: Pixabay/Diego Parra

WEST WENDOVER, Nev., Dec. 9, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials have identified a Utah man who was shot and killed by police in West Wendover, Nev., after a brief pursuit Saturday afternoon.

The deceased is James N. Robertson, 41, of Francis, in Summit County, according to Elko County Sheriff’s officials, who are investigating the incident in keeping with officer-involved shooting protocol.

According to a statement by West Wendover Police Lt. Don Lininge, officers attempted to stop a reckless driver, later identified as Robertson, who was in a pickup truck on Wendover Boulevard — just south of Interstate 80 and near the Utah-Nevada border — at about 12:42 p.m.

The driver refused to stop and the pursuit ended in a minor crash at a Chevron station at 820 Wendover Blvd., where he exited his vehicle and was confronted by at least two West Wendover police officers.

A video shot by a bystander and posted on social media shows Robertson being ordered to surrender while he backs away from officers.

Seconds later at least five gun shots rang out and a man off-camera can be heard saying, “He’s dying. He’s already died.”

Witnesses say the suspect was holding a knife to his own throat while defying police commands to get on the ground.

Officers tried to revive Robertson, but were unsuccessful.

Both West Wendover police officers have been placed on administrative leave.

Mayor Daniel Corona issued a statement on Twitter later Saturday, in which he expressed his confidence that the officers acted “in a manner that is consistent with training under these circumstances.” His complete statement is shown below.

Gephardt Daily will provide more information as it becomes available.
Image Courtesy Google Maps

1 COMMENT

  1. i hope u guys know that he wouldn’t have hurt anybody and also he already slit his own throat so he was loosing a lot of blood and you guys say your officers are well trained i know that they are not because this was my uncle and we talked to the chief and he said the officer with the taser didn’t even have the right training to be on the field but yet you guys let him out on field. Also when you guys fired the first shot he was down on the ground and you guys continued to shoot i know that my uncle was shot excessively 5 times and also the first shot hit him in the heart and you guys say you tried to revive him that is a lie you guys stranded their watching him you didn’t do any medical treatment then you let my uncle law on the ground dead for hours and hours i think the west wendover police department does not have the proper training like in example they could have shot him in the leg the anywhere but no they jumped to conclusions and shot him once in the heart and the rest of the shots he was already on the ground.

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