LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A man who opened fire at a condominium complex near the Las Vegas Strip was shot by a security officer after the gunman’s rifle jammed, according to court documents obtained by NewsNation affiliate KLAS.
According to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrest report, Andrew Warrender, 32, is accused of entering the Turnberry Towers with an AR-15 rifle, pointing it at several people, and firing one shot at a security officer before the rifle jammed.
A KLAS report from Monday had previously named Warrender as the suspect.
Turnberry Towers, located in the 300 block of Karen Avenue near Paradise Road and Sahara Avenue, is a condominium complex consisting of two separate high-rise buildings.
The report stated that shortly after 3 p.m., a valet employee told a front desk security guard that Warrender had walked into the lobby carrying a rifle. The security guard told him that Warrender could open carry a rifle in Nevada.
That security guard told police that he had seen Warrender on almost a daily basis for the past year and a half and had “never had any issues with [him].”
According to the report, the valet driver thought that “something was off” with Warrender and approached Warrender to ask if he was okay, to which Warrender replied he was “not okay.” When the valet driver asked Warrender why he had a rifle with him, Warrender “moved the rifle in a motion as if he was going to point it at [him],” the report stated.
The valet driver then moved back to the front desk and told the security guards to call the police.
At 3:11 p.m., an HOA manager told police that she was notified by one of the security guards that a resident of the property was armed with a rifle, and they believed “he may start shooting people.” According to the report, the manager and her assistant were going to leave the office when they saw Warrender, who made a “motion with the rifle” but did not point it directly at her.
The report stated she believed he was going to shoot her and feared for her life. She and her assistant pushed multiple objects, including a desk, against a door in her office and hid.
According to the report, a second security guard told police that he was standing behind the counter of the front desk, watching Warrender on the security cameras as the valet driver spoke with Warrender. While he was standing behind the desk, he saw Warrender walk toward him with the rifle in his hand.
At 3:13 p.m., the report stated the security guard ducked below the counter at the same time that Warrender fired a shot in his direction.
One minute later, security footage then appears to show Warrender’s rifle malfunctioning before he tries to fix it. He then appears to aim the rifle in the direction of the security guard hiding behind the desk, but because the firearm was jammed, it did not fire. He then exits the building.
The report stated a third security guard told police that when Warrender entered the lobby, he attempted to escape, believing that Warrender was going to shoot his rifle. When he walked through the front office, he heard a gunshot. He continued through the front office and exited the building through a side door.
According to the report, as the third guard exited, he saw Warrender exiting the main entrance to the lobby while holding the rifle in his hands. The security guard told police he pulled out his handgun and fired 5-7 shots, hitting Warrender, who fell to the ground. The timeline of events, however, cites 12 to 13 rounds being fired at Warrender.
The report stated that he continued to hold Warrender at gunpoint until police arrived. He told police that he felt that everyone in the area was in danger. He said he used deadly force to protect innocent citizens, believing that Warrender would have shot anyone he came across.
The security guard told police that he is not asked to carry a firearm at the complex but chooses to carry one anyway, the report stated.
When officers arrived, they found Warrender on the ground in front of the main entrance to tower one, still being held at gunpoint by the security officer. He had been shot several times in the thighs and abdomen.
According to the report, Warrender was staying at the complex as a guest of one of the residents, his uncle. Officers conducted a welfare check on the uncle’s room to make sure he was not injured or harmed. Using a key from maintenance, they entered the room but did not locate the uncle.
Inside the room, officers saw an open, empty black case that appeared to be a case for a rifle.
Warrender was taken to an area hospital, where he is recovering from his injuries.
He was booked in absentia for two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm in an occupied structure, and attempted murder. According to Clark County Detention Center records, he is scheduled for a status check on July 3.