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Jose Luis Saenz

Age : 41

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 02/20/2024

Location : 2500 block of Eastern Avenue

City : Las Vegas

County : Clark

State : Nevada

Agency : Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Officer(s) :Not disclosed

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Unhoused man killed by police during mental health crisis

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

n 02/20/2024, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a mental health crisis call involving 41-year-old Jose Luis Saenz in the 2500 block of Eastern Avenue. Dispatch information described a suicidal individual experiencing a behavioral crisis rather than a violent crime call. Officers arrived to conduct a welfare and crisis response contact.
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According to LVMPD statements and regional reporting, police claimed Saenz was holding a bladed object described in media accounts as a long knife or blade during the encounter. Authorities alleged he was in an active mental health crisis and engaged in self-harm behavior prior to officers’ arrival. Police reported that officers gave verbal commands for him to drop the blade during the confrontation.
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Law enforcement stated that Saenz did not drop the object immediately and remained holding the bladed item during the crisis encounter. Officers then opened fire, striking and killing him at the location. Public reporting consistently describes the weapon only as a “bladed weapon” or long knife based on police accounts. No firearm or threat to others were claimed by authorities.
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Available coverage indicates officers approached a suicidal welfare situation that escalated into lethal force after police said he remained holding the blade. The precise distance between officers and Saenz, duration of de-escalation efforts, and exact tactical positioning were not fully detailed in early public summaries, leaving gaps in the moment-by-moment escalation timeline.
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Body Camera / Evidence Disclosure:
LVMPD has released heavily edited snippets of body camera footage in standard news reporting archives tied to this incident which is enclosed.
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Officer Identification and Outcome:
Officer names were not publicly disclosed in initial public summaries. As of available reporting, no criminal charges against the involved officers were publicly announced, and the case followed the standard internal and investigative internal review process typical for LVMPD officer-involved shootings.
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Weapon Clarification:
Police claimed Saenz was holding some type of bladed object during the crisis encounter. Authorities did not claim the presence of a firearm. The weapon description originates from law enforcement statements, and no independently released video evidence has publicly verified the exact manner in which the object was held or used at the time lethal force was applied.
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Public Coverage and Aftermath:
The case received regional media attention primarily framed around a mental health crisis and unhoused status, but detailed forensics were entirely withheld by police.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.ktnv.com/news/crime/homeless-man-shot-killed-by-las-vegas-officers-after-refusing-to-drop-29-inch-blade
https://www.lvmpd.com/Home/Components/News/News/781/263
https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/man-attempted-to-cut-off-arm-before-las-vegas-officers-shot-killed-him/
https://www.ktnv.com/news/crime/police-sharing-new-details-about-officer-involved-shooting-near-sahara-eastern
https://news3lv.com/news/local/two-officers-who-shot-killed-armed-suspect-in-east-las-vegas-valley-identified-lvmpd-metro-police-ois-crime-shooting-southern-nevada
https://www.fox5vegas.com/2024/02/22/officers-identified-fatal-shooting-man-armed-with-bladed-weapon/