UPDATE: The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is investigating a series of incidents that began early Saturday morning after reports of multiple shots in the area of Koontz Lane and Edmonds Drive that started fires and led to a vehicle pursuit in which the suspect sustained moderate injuries after their vehicle rolled over.
The suspect, Kerry Benson, 46, of Carson City, was booked for three felony counts damage to infrastructure, three counts destruction of property, eluding, three counts discharging a firearm in public, reckless driving and two counts failure to obey traffic control device. It was learned the suspect had shot at multiple Flock cameras.
According to Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong the incidents began in the early morning when there were multiple reports of shots being fired that resulted in at least two fire department responses. At 12:42 a.m. Carson City Fire Department was called to the area of Koontz Lane and Raglan Circle for a vegetation fire and 1:19 a.m. to South Carson and Fairview Drive for a reported vehicle fire.
The incidents resulted in a pursuit of the suspect vehicle along Fairview and into the Prison Hill area, said Sheriff Furlong. The suspect vehicle rolled and became engulfed in flames. The suspect was admitted to Renown Medical Center in Reno with moderate injuries. The incident investigation remains ongoing, said Furlong.
According to the sheriff’s office booking report, deputies responded at 1:10 a.m. to the area of South Carson and Fairview for a report of multiple shots fired in the area. Dispatch advised an unknown suspect fired off approximately 5 to 6 shots. The reporting party described the vehicle as a white pickup with camper shell.
A deputy located a vehicle matching the description on Sonoma Street. The vehicle then traveled northbound on Frontage Road running through a stop sign. The vehicle travelled northbound onto North Carson Street, running through a stop sign again. The vehicle continued northbound on North Carson Street, with the driver having multiple opportunities to pull over safely but continued to elude at a high rate of speed, showing no signs of stopping, the report states.
The vehicle then continued eastbound on Fairview Drive. While on Fairview speeds reached approximately 100 mph. At one point, the vehicle began to lose traction but the driver was able to correct it. The vehicle then traveled eastbound on Fifth Street, then southbound on Carson River Road. A deputy lost sight of the vehicle after passing Carson River Park. At Carson River Road and Pinion Hills, after the bend, the vehicle crashed and was on its driver’s side with the passenger side facing up, with the vehicle catching fire.
The deputy arrived and began to give the suspect commands to exit the vehicle. After multiple announcements, the driver crawled out of the vehicle. They were asked where the gun was located and the suspect stated inside the vehicle. The suspect followed commands, exited the vehicle and was arrested. The suspect advised there was no one else inside the vehicle, which at that point became fully engulfed in flames.
Deputies conducted a search of the suspect and located his wallet, which is where his license was located. Another deputy helped escort the suspect away from the area to a safer place and waited for the Carson City Fire Department to arrive. The suspect stated they thought their legs were broken. The suspect was taken to the hospital via Care Flight.
A Reno Police Department officer met with a Carson City Sheriff’s Office deputy at the hospital in Reno. The deputy asked the suspect if they wanted to explain what happened. The suspect stated “not really,” according to the booking report.
Later the investigation revealed the suspect shooting three Flock cameras with a handgun. The cameras were located at Fairview Drive and South Edmonds, Kootnz Lane and Fairview Drive and South Roop Street, all in Carson City. Each camera is worth approximately $3,000, totally $9,000. The Flock cameras are owned by Carson City and were purchased for public safety, criminal investigations, infrastructure protections of highways, roadways and public utilities as well as for Homeland Security purposes.
This shooting incident is being investigated by the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, while the accident investigation is being managed by the Nevada State Police. The matter is under continued investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Carson City Sheriff’s Office at 775-887-2500.
We will update as more information becomes available.
