Officers say the woman reported being held against her will and threatened.
HENDERSON, NV — Henderson police shot and killed a man Thursday morning after officers said he chased a woman out of a home while holding a knife during a domestic disturbance call in a neighborhood near Valle Verde Drive and Windmill Parkway.
The shooting, described by police as an officer-involved incident, followed a 911 report that the woman was being kept from leaving and feared for her life. The case is under investigation, and police said more information would be released later as they review the circumstances surrounding the use of force.
Police said officers were sent to the 200 block of Scotgrove Street at about 7:46 a.m. after dispatchers received a report of a domestic disturbance. Investigators said the woman told dispatch she was being held against her will by her ex-boyfriend, who was threatening her life and said he would “shoot it out” with police. Henderson Police Capt. Benson Harper said officers arrived and ordered the pair to come out of the residence. A short time later, police said, the woman ran outside with the man close behind her holding a knife. Officers fired, striking the man, and immediately began providing medical aid, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman, who did not want to be identified, told local media she believed she was going to die. “Yes, and he told me we were both going to die today,” she said in an interview. She said she called 911 from inside the home after he began acting irrationally, and she described a struggle that left her terrified. “At one point in the house I fought for my life,” she said, describing how he grabbed her by the hair and tried to force her to the floor. She said the confrontation escalated after he went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and chased her outside, where she saw officers already positioned behind the home with their firearms drawn.
Police said no officers and no other people were injured. The woman was not hurt, police said. Authorities also said the man’s adult son was inside the residence during the incident and was not injured. The department did not immediately release the man’s name or age, and police did not say how many officers fired or how many shots were discharged. Henderson police have not publicly identified the officers involved, and they did not say whether body-worn camera video would be released or when it might become available.
Neighbors described a sudden, chaotic morning as multiple police vehicles converged on the residential street. Peter Seagrave, who lives nearby, said he and his wife heard a burst of gunfire. “My wife heard pop, pop, pop, pop. Just like that,” Seagrave said. He said he later saw officers bring the man around the corner and attempt lifesaving measures. Police confirmed that aid was rendered at the scene but said the man died despite those efforts. Later, officers kept the area blocked off for hours as investigators worked, and traffic restrictions were lifted after police cleared the scene.
Harper said the woman’s initial report included threats that raised concern for officer safety as well as her own. Police said the woman told dispatchers the man would not let her leave and had threatened her life. In a briefing and in later statements, police described the man as the woman’s ex-boyfriend and said the call began as a domestic disturbance. Police also acknowledged there had been prior calls to the residence, though Harper said he did not have a specific number of earlier incidents. The woman said she had lived at the location for less than a year with the man she identified as her ex-boyfriend and described prior domestic-violence experiences in her life.
In an interview, the woman offered additional details about what she said happened inside the home before officers arrived. She said the man threatened her and made alarming comments about pets in the house. “He threatened to boil my puppies,” she said, adding that she tried to keep them safe by moving them into a crate and placing them in the backyard. She said she was grateful officers were positioned outside when she ran from the home. “I saw my whole life flash right before me,” she said. “Luckily, the officers were all lined up and ready to protect me. And they saved me today.” She said the man pulled her down by her hair before she was able to get away and run toward the officers.
The shooting remains under investigation, and Henderson police said they expect to provide more information at a later time. Authorities did not say whether the case would be reviewed by an outside agency, a prosecutor’s office, or an internal board, and they did not release a timeline for any public updates. For now, the department has described the incident as a domestic-violence call that quickly escalated when the man ran after the woman with a knife as officers tried to get both people out of the residence.
By Friday, police said the scene had been cleared and roads in the area had reopened, but the department continued to describe the case as developing. Police did not say whether the woman had sought a protective order or whether any recent reports had been made before Thursday’s 911 call. They also did not detail whether any less-lethal tools were used before the shooting, or whether officers attempted additional de-escalation after the woman ran from the house. Those details, police said, would be part of the continuing investigation.
Author note: Last updated February 20, 2026.