Sheriff: LVMPD officer 'ambushed' while responding to 911 call was Marine veteran

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Sheriff Kevin McMahill is sharing new information about the life of a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer who was killed in the line of duty on Tuesday, August 4.

The officer has been identified as 30-year-old Austin Abdelnabi, a decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran who had worked for LVMPD since 2023. Abdelnabi was assigned to LVMPD's Southeast Area Command and was "ambushed" while responding to a 911 call on Tuesday afternoon, McMahill said.

Watch the full briefing with Sheriff Kevin McMahill here:

According to information from police, Abdelnabi was shot just before 4 p.m. after LVMPD received a 911 call about a man who was said to be waving a firearm near a business in the area of Tropicana Avenue and Mountain Vista Street.

Officers found the man about a mile away, in the area of Mountain Vista Street and Hacienda Avenue, and he "immediately opened fire upon officers," Capt. Adam Seely said during an initial briefing on the shooting.

"Officers made contact with the suspect, and a gun battle ensued," Seely said. "Unfortunately, our officer has passed."

The suspect, who has not been publicly identified as of Wednesday morning, was pronounced dead at the scene.

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State, local officials share words of remembrance for fallen Officer Abdelnabi

KTNV Staff

McMahill noted that Abdelnabi was known among his colleagues for his "giant personality," and for his love for Sage, his wife of eight years.

Abdelnabi, who was born in South Carolina, previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Pendleton. He served deployments in Okinawa and Africa and was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, McMahill said.

He is survived by his wife, parents, two brothers and his sister. The Injured Police Officers Fund is the official fundraising organization for the Abdelnabi family, McMahill noted.

"My heart grieves with all of you," McMahill said. "As I delivered the news of Austin's death to a large group of officers at UMC and at the crime scene yesterday, I had to remind them that it's OK to not be OK.

"I made sure that they understood from me that it's OK not cry, to mourn, to feel, and to honor the life of their friend."

McMahill acknowledged the department has many young officers and new recruits who may not have experienced the death of a colleague in the line of duty.

"I also told them that in no uncertain terms, one of the best ways we can honor Austin is to show up and defeat evil every single day," McMahill said. "Yesterday, evil won — for a moment. But we won't let it win forever. And in true LVMPD fashion, as we've done in the past, we will learn from this loss and become stronger."