RENO — A robbery suspect who police say was seen with a gun while fleeing from officers was shot and killed by police inside a downtown Reno casino, authorities said Thursday.
No police officers or bystanders were hurt, and there was no continuing threat after the shooting about 11:30 a.m. at the Eldorado Hotel & Casino, Sparks police Officer Ken Gallop said.
Gallop didn’t say if a weapon was found after the shooting, and said he couldn’t immediately say whether the suspect was a man or a woman.
The chase began with a report of a robbery near Commercial Row and West Street, Gallop said. That’s about two blocks from the Eldorado and the iconic downtown arch reading, “The Biggest Little City in the World.”
It ended near a second-floor restaurant in the multi-story downtown casino-hotel with more than 800 rooms.
A witness, Dezraei Hall-Scott, told the Reno Gazette-Journal she was sitting at an upstairs bar when she saw several police officers enter with guns drawn, and then heard two gunshots.
Hall-Scott said she could smell burned gunpowder as she ran from the scene.
Another witness, Johnathan Izquierdo, said he also heard two gunshots.
The casino itself remained open, although hotel employees shielded a section of hallway from view with dark curtains, and the Millies24 coffee shop remained closed while police investigated.
The shooting involved Reno police. Gallop said Sparks police were heading the investigation under an agreement worked out years ago to have neighboring jurisdictions investigate police shootings in Reno, Sparks and Washoe County.