By: Las Vegas Now Staff
A valley woman has died after being shot by a Henderson Police Officer. It's a scene you wouldn't normally see as two ice cream truck drivers confronting police with their children present.
It started with Henderson Police pulling over a speeding ice cream truck driven by 65- year-old Zyber Selimaj. This routine traffic stop was about to be anything but routine.
“The subject became combative, did not want to sign the citation. There was a language barrier,” said Henderson Police Capt. Robert Wamsley.
Read the Clark County Homicide Report
Police say he threatened officers and himself. Then he got his wife on the phone, but that didn't help.
Officers say the wife showed up in her ice cream truck, with her two children, and they say she wasn't happy.
“They tried to calm her down and bring her forward to the vehicle, at which time she returned to her vehicle and produced a knife. She had taken one of those children into her side, as if taking them captive and was holding the knife,” said Capt. Wamsley.
Police say they were able to grab the children and get them to safety, but the woman refused to cooperate.
“At that time, there were attempts to taser her and subdue her. Those attempts failed and she again came at the officers, and a shot was fired,” said Capt. Wamsley.
The woman was hit by gunfire and taken to Sunrise Trauma where she later died from her injuries. The children were taken to Child Haven and are okay, But the husband is in jail, charged with obstruction of justice and his traffic citations.
The 23-year-old officer has been placed on routine administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
Email your comments to Reporter Aaron Drawhorn
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Did she attack these brave officers with an ice cream sandwich? Is “non-lethal” a term unknown to your local cops? A speeding ticket and a wife & mother is shot dead? Two children of a 65 y/o man are so young that they’re taken to Child Haven? Just how old was his late wife, whom the police killed, and her/their children? This one fails the sniff test. We’re so glad that we left Las Vegas and are living in beautiful Prescott, AZ, where this stuff doesn’t happen.
Comment by Jeff Tate — February 14, 2008 @ 10:39 am
There is no way to justify shooting a woman in front of her children, because she was combative. Those children need to be with their father right now, not in a group home that is anything but a safe environment. These children probably are thinking that the cops murdered their father as well. Henderson, is this what you want in your neighborhood? Also, why is this story not getting the coverage and exposure that the community deserves? These children deserve justice, and we need to make sure that they do get justice served.
Comment by mike arnold — February 15, 2008 @ 12:46 am
You know with all the gang activity going on in Las Vegas and all the people who come in this town from other places our officers are doing the best they know how to do! They dont know any more if you are angry what you will do. They are protecting themselves as well as the community and you and I!!! Open up your eyes people, this is an Ice Cream truck going 65 miles an hour? Ice Cream trucks go 5 or 10 miles an hour because they sell ice cream to kids. This driver has paid a very high price for his mistake! It could have been one of your kids hit by this truck going so fast? You dont get angry with the police for just pulling you over for going to fast and in this case they were just trying to do their job and protect!
Recently I was in an arguement with my son, it was getting out of hand,I called the police to my home, for the safety of my son and I, when the police came my son came back in the house to get me, and when I came out I was under gun point, BUT I put my hands up and remained calm, because, I know in my own mind the police do not know any more WHO they are dealing with and all they are trying to do is their job! Serve and Protect. Im glad they keep on trying because what would our world be like if they didnt? I am definetly not ready to be bossed around by gang members who have so little concern about human life!!!!
Comment by JOY — February 22, 2008 @ 5:46 am
Thank you JOY!! I was reading this entire story and then read peoples comments and was thinking… did I miss something? People are saying that poor mother? Really? Are you serious right now. I am a mother and that women doesn’t even deserve that title! She was threatening her kids people! Even if she didn’t have a knife she was making threats and gestures that she had one and intended to use it. Why was an ice cream truck going that fast? Why become irate to sign a citation for speeding? Something’s not right with that picture. If that women was willing to treat her kids like that in public then how do you think they were treated behind close doors? Those two boys were in danger and put there by their parents and the police were protecting them and themselves by all means necessary! Thank you!
Comment by Lenora — April 14, 2008 @ 6:19 pm