A suspect is dead following a shooting at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) on Monday afternoon.
The incident, according to a Nye County Sheriff’s Office news release, occurred at 5:18 p.m, when an unidentified male driver failed to stop at the Nevada National Security Site gate at Mercury, Nevada, roughly 40 miles from Pahrump.
Both NNSS Security Protective Force Officers (SPOs) and the Nye County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) took up pursuit.
“After driving approximately eight miles past the security gate, the individual came to a stop, exited his car and approached the SPO’s and NCSO deputies with a cylindrical object in-hand,” the release stated. “The suspect refused to adhere to verbal commands of both NCSO and the SPO’s on scene. When the suspect approached the officers, he was fired upon by both NCSO and an SPO. The suspect died at the scene.”
The release went on to state that deputies and security site personnel received no injuries as a result of the engagement.
No motive has been established, nor have law enforcement revealed exactly what the man was in possession of.
Officials with the FBI have been notified of the incident.
Additional details regarding the shooting will be released as they are available, according to authorities.
As described on its website, the NNSS is both an indoor, outdoor, and underground national laboratory.
Located roughly 43 minutes north of Pahrump, the facility is the preferred location for experiments supporting the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA’s) nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship programs, national defense programs, along with national security research, development and training programs.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com, on Twitter: @pvtimes