NORTH LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Officials from the North Las Vegas Police Department released video Thursday and identified the person officers shot and killed in an incident last Friday.
Just before 1 a.m. on Friday, officers pulled over a vehicle near the intersection of La Madre Way and Allen Lane. A second patrol vehicle also pulled over to assist.
According to the release from NLVPD, the officer approached the driver of the vehicle asking why it took so long for him to stop, about marks on his arms and about a bag containing a white powdery substance. Simultaneously, two other officers approached the car on the passenger side.
Approximately 45 seconds after the conversation began, investigators say the driver reached into the vehicle’s glovebox, grabbed a gun, and pointed it at the officer. The officers, identified by NLVPD officials as Fernando Herrera and Mike Azcunaga, fired multiple shots into the vehicle.
Officer Herrera has been working with NLVPD since 2016, and Officer Azcunaga was hired in 2021. Herrera fired eight shots, while Azcunaga fired 10. Both were placed on paid administrative leave, as is the department policy.
The driver, identified by investigators as Phillip Christopher Peinado, 58, from North Las Vegas, would be facing multiple charges, including destruction of evidence, possession of a controlled substance and assault with a deadly weapon on a protected person, had he survived, according to police.
Investigators say Peinado’s criminal history dates back to 1983 and includes arrests in California on suspicion of felony burglary, grand theft, and battery of a police officer.
