LAS VEGAS (KSNV & MyNews3) -- There are two very different accounts of a dramatic moment that ended in death. Metro says the woman shot by police, first pointed a gun at officers. Witnesses say that didn't happen.
News 3 spoke with one of the witnesses today and reporter Marissa Mike is here with what was said.
Family and friends of Sharmel Edwards are coming forward. One man says he knew Edwards well and was there when that early morning shooting happened. He claims that wasn't a gun in her hand. He says it looked like a cellphone.
Edwards' friend Mike, who did not want us to use his last name, says he saw the entire half-hour standoff.
He said Edwards was talking on the phone in the moments before she finally got out of the car. Metro says when Edwards got out, she pointed a .45 caliber gun at officers, but Mike paints a different picture.
Two of the five officers who fired at Edwards were involved in previous police shootings. Metro tells news 3 that it doesn't monitor officers involved in multiple shootings even though such shootings most often lead to pricey settlements paid for by taxpayers.
Commissioner Steve Sisolak says the department should start tracking settlements by individual officer to search for patterns. We'll have more on that for you coming up tonight on News 3 at 5.
