LAS VEGAS — An Edmonds police officer died after being “violently assaulted” while off-duty in Las Vegas Saturday, according to the Edmonds Police Department (EPD).
Officer Tyler Steffins was stabbed by a 58-year-old suspect, identified as Freddy Allen, just after 9:30 p.m. on March 26, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).
Steffins and Allen had a verbal altercation over an interaction with a dog the night before the incident, the LVMPD said. Another altercation took place the next day, and that is when police said Allen stabbed Steffins.
Steffins was taken to the hospital but did not survive his injuries, according to a press release from the EPD. He did not know Allen.
Steffins had been with the EPD since August 2018 and graduated from the police academy at the top of his class in March 2019. He served as a patrol officer for both day and night shifts and was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
Steffins leaves behind a wife and two young children.
“Tyler was a valued member of our police family whose infectious smile and contagious laugh endeared him to his peers,” said EPD Chief Michelle Bennett. “We will miss him terribly but cherish the times we had with him. We remain committed to providing quality service to our community even during the most trying of times.”
Acting Assistant Chief of EPD Josh McClure said employees at the department began learning details of the incident in Las Vegas Sunday night, which is what initiated their inquiry with LVMPD.
Currently, the department is working to support its roughly 70 employees through their grief.
"He was a loving father, husband, son, sibling, friend and colleague," McClure said. "He is incredibly missed here in our building already."
Allen was taken into custody and booked for open murder with a deadly weapon, according to the LVMPD. The stabbing is being investigated as a homicide.
Allen refused to make a Monday court appearance in Las Vegas on a murder charge, according to the Associated Press.
It was not immediately clear if Allen had a lawyer assigned to his case who could speak on his behalf. He remained jailed without bail pending another court date Wednesday.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Allen was arrested at least twice during the last year on suspicion of committing acts of violence on the resort-lined Strip.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.