LAS VEGAS -- New information and pictures obtained by 8 News NOW show the split-second decision that led Metro Police to shoot an escaped chimpanzee.
A witness to Thursday's shooting says the escaped chimpanzees put his neighborhood in danger. Mike Alton was just driving away from his house when he saw one of two escaped chimps walking down Rowland Avenue. He stopped his truck, took out his cameras, and began taking pictures.
SLIDESHOW: Mike Alton's Pictures of Buddy
Alton was across Ann Road, 40 feet away from the action, when he took the first photo of Buddy, the male chimp.
"The cop, it looks like he was trying to herd him away from the highway, getting him away from Ann Road," Alton said. "He (Buddy) came up and he walked up to the car. He reached his arm and he went bam, bam, bam on the lid of the car."
Seconds later, Alton saw animal handler Miguel Gutierrez following Buddy and trying to turn him away from Ann Road. Alton said the animal appeared confused when reaching the street. At first, the chimpanzee didn't cross, and continued moving along the sidewalk.
"Next thing you know, he stepped off that curb and he was walking in my direction. I looked at the officer, I'm thinking, OK, this is not good. You've got to do something. I looked back at the chimp and that's when I heard the first round went off," Alton said, "Then it was pop, pop, pop."
Alton believes Metro Police had to shoot the chimpanzee, when they did, or risk the animal charging into homes south of Ann Road.
"Folks, you don't understand. It's an animal. If he didn't take it out, and he just wounded it, it gets up and they move fast. He's going to get somebody. I don't know who the officer was, but my hat's off to him. He did what he did. I feel bad that he had to. I'm sure he does too."
Where the chimpanzee got loose is in an area north of Ann Road where houses are widely spaced with clearly visible chain link fences. If the chimpanzee had crossed south of Ann Road, he would have reached a neighborhood of closely packed houses with higher walls and more blind spots.
