Civilian Slain, Officer Badly Wounded in Las Vegas Riots

A bystander was killed and a Las Vegas police officer was shot and seriously wounded in rioting Thursday night. A police substation was burned and officers and firefighters were hit by rocks and bottles, Las Vegas police officials said.

One large fire and several small ones were set on the west side of Las Vegas, Police Sgt. Steve Rudolph said.

“From the 26th floor of a downtown hotel, I could see a huge fire over on the west side and several small ones all burning at the same time,” Robert Milne, a Las Vegas resident, told The Times.

Rudolph said firefighters had withdrawn after being shot at and struck by a barrage of rocks and bottles.

Rudolph said a 10-square-mile area on the west side centered on a housing project had been cordoned off. The area has a large black population. He said a curfew was imposed.

“A large crowd, more than 200, of protesters against the King verdict tried to march on downtown but we cut them off,” Rudolph said.

A police substation at the Gerson Park housing project was burned down and “you can hear gunshots everywhere out there. So far, I haven’t been able to find out what set off the shootings,” Rudolph said.

The Las Vegas Strip has not been disturbed, Rudolph said.