The Seattle Times
LAS VEGAS — An off-duty Edmonds police officer was stabbed to death during an altercation with another man Saturday in Las Vegas, the department said in a news release.
The attack happened around 9:39 p.m. on a Las Vegas Strip pedestrian bridge at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, according to a news release by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The officer, Tyler Steffins, was taken to a hospital but later died.
https://twitter.com/EdmondsPolice/status/1508501438363627522
A suspect has been arrested.
Las Vegas police said Steffins had argued with the suspect “over an interaction with a dog the night before” the stabbing. On Saturday, the two men got into another fight, after which the suspect stabbed the victim once, police said.
As the officers arrived in the area they saw the suspect, a 58-year-old man, holding a knife, police said. The suspect tried to run but was apprehended, police said.
He was booked on investigation of murder with a deadly weapon.
The suspect refused to go to his initial court appearance Monday, Las Vegas’ KLAS-TV reported.
The suspect had been arrested twice in the past year on the Las Vegas Strip for committing acts of violence with a knife, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal citing police and court records.
Steffins, a Marine Corps veteran, started with Edmonds police in August 2018. He has been a patrol officer on both the day and night shifts, the Edmonds Police Department said.
Steffins is survived by a wife and two young children.
“This is a tragic loss for our agency when our staff and the entire region is already in a state of mourning for other fallen officers,” Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett said in the news release. “While we grieve with heavy hearts, our peer support program members are actively engaging with our staff. Tyler was a valued member of our police family whose infectious smile and contagious laugh endeared him to his peers. We will miss him terribly but cherish the times we had with him. We remain committed to providing quality service to our community even during the most trying of times.”
Steffins’ death comes one day after another Snohomish County law enforcement officer, Everett police Officer Dan Rocha, 41, was shot and killed Friday during a confrontation with an armed man.
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