LVMPD shares details in Spring Valley traffic stop that led to chase, shooting

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Authorities provided new details surrounding a shooting that began as a traffic stop in Spring Valley early Friday morning.

It began just after 1 a.m. in the area of South Valley View Boulevard and West Twain Avenue, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

You can watch the full briefing here:

Assistant Sheriff Fred Haas told media that around 1:11 a.m., officers in a marked patrol car noticed an unregistered white sedan and initiated a traffic stop.

One of the people inside, sitting in the rear passenger seat, was noticed not wearing his seatbelt, and police asked him to identify himself.

The suspect gave false identifying information, and as police were working to confirm his identity, he opened the back door and ran away.

The suspect traveled east on Twain then turned northbound onto Procyon and hit behind vehicles at a business in the 3600 block

The suspect pulled something from his waistband, and police told him to show his hands. When the suspect didn't follow the commands, he was tased.

The suspect then advanced toward officers, and believing he could be armed, police fired at the suspect.

During the investigation, it was determined he had pulled a cell phone out and that's what he was holding in his hand.

The suspect, now identified as 25-year-old Wunya Lynum, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Lynum now faces charges of assault on a protected person, resisting a public officer, and using the identity of another to avoid prosecution.

The officer who fired his weapon was previously identified as 30-year-old Officer Martin Biorato, who has been employed with LVMPD since 2022.

He's been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a review of the incident.

This is the seventh officer-involved shooting in LVMPD's jurisdiction for 2025, and the fourth without a fatality.