93-year-old man shoots maintenance worker over apartment flooding

Robert Thomas said he didn't want to hurt the man he shot but wanted to 'screw him over a little'

A police officer in Las Vegas shot a 93-year-old man for shooting a maintenance worker after complaining about water damage in his apartment.

Surveillance footage from inside an apartment building office shows Robert Thomas wearing a black coat and wide-brimmed black hat as he points a pistol at a man seated at a desk.

Mr Thomas fires a round, sending the man stumbling to the ground. Mr Thomas then stands above the man, points his gun and shoots a second time.

The Vista Del Valley apartment resident was reportedly angry with management for the flooding in his apartment and threatened staff inside the building's office on 2 January.

Body-worn camera footage shows Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department ​Officer Ronald Hornyak running to the building with his gun drawn.

Seconds after Mr Thomas fired two shots, Officer Hornyack arrived on the scene and yelled for Mr Thomas to "drop the gun" before firing a round through a glass door.

According to police, the shot hit Mr Thomas through his jacket. Surveillance camera footage shows Mr Thomas placing his gun on a nearby desk before he's tackled to the ground.

Police say Mr Thomas "received a small cut to his head" during his arrest.

Mr Thomas was treated and released from a local hospital and charged with attempted murder, kidnapping with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm within a structure, burglary with a firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon.

During a court appearance on 3 January, Mr Thomas said he didn't want to hurt the man he shot, but he wanted to "screw him over a little."​

His bond was set at $25,000.

The incident marks the city's first officer-involved shooting of 2020.

Las Vegas police Force Investigation Team is investigating the officer's use of force, and the findings will be forwarded to the Clark County District Attorney's Office for review.