HENDERSON, NV — Henderson police say officers shot and killed a 48-year-old man Saturday evening after a domestic violence call, a renewed response to the same home, and an armed confrontation near Eastern Avenue. The Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Ropati Tauiliili and said he died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Police said the incident began when officers were sent to a home in the 2000 block of Club Crest Way, near Warm Springs Road, around 3:45 p.m. Officers were told a man had come to the residence, assaulted a family member, and pointed a gun at several other relatives. The man left before officers arrived, and police started searching for him.
Officers returned after a woman was found with gunshot wounds
Later that evening, Henderson police were called back to the Club Crest Way home. Investigators then found a woman with gunshot wounds, deepening the urgency of the response and expanding the investigation beyond the earlier domestic violence report.
During that investigation, officers learned the suspect was in the 6000 block of Eastern Avenue. Police said he had told someone he intended to bring about a confrontation with law enforcement and had threatened suicide by cop. That information prompted a larger response from Henderson police, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the Clark County Office of Public Safety.
Authorities have not said when the woman was shot or how badly she was hurt. Police also have not released a detailed timeline connecting the initial family disturbance to the later shooting response.
Police say the suspect fired at officers and an air unit
When officers reached the Eastern Avenue location, investigators say Tauiliili fired at Henderson police officers and at Metro’s Air Unit. Henderson Police SWAT and Metro SWAT then responded, and officers worked to talk with him during the standoff.
Police say Tauiliili fired again at officers during that effort. Two Henderson police officers then shot him. Medical aid was provided at the scene, but he was pronounced dead there.
No officers were injured, according to police. The department described the case as an officer-involved shooting and said the investigation remains active.
Coroner identifies Tauiliili and says he died of multiple gunshot wounds
The Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the dead man as 48-year-old Ropati Tauiliili. The office said the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
That identification came after police had already described the man only as a suspect in the shooting. Authorities have not publicly said whether Tauiliili had any prior contact with police before Saturday or provided additional details about the firearm involved.
The coroner’s findings confirm the fatal nature of the encounter, but they do not resolve the larger questions investigators still face about the sequence of events leading up to the shooting.
Two Henderson officers were placed on paid administrative leave
Henderson police identified the two officers involved as Julian Diaz and Thomas Whitney. Both have been with the department since 2019. The department said both officers were placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
Police said the names of the officers involved will be released after 48 hours. That is standard timing in many agency reviews involving officer-involved shootings, giving investigators and command staff time to begin collecting statements and evidence.
The department did not say which officer fired the shots that struck Tauiliili. It also has not released body camera details or other evidence from the scene.
Henderson records its third officer-involved shooting of the year
City officials said this was Henderson’s third officer-involved shooting this year. That figure gives the case broader significance for a city already tracking a year with multiple fatal or potentially fatal police encounters.
The shooting also brought together several law enforcement agencies, including Henderson police, Metro, Metro SWAT, Henderson SWAT, and the Clark County Office of Public Safety. The multi-agency response reflects the seriousness of the threat police believed they faced on Eastern Avenue.
Investigators have not said when they expect to finish the case review. For now, police say the inquiry is ongoing as they piece together the domestic violence call, the reported shooting of a woman, and the final exchange of gunfire with officers.