Shownotes
Vegas Crime Files
Suicide by Cop: The Impact on Police Officers
Episode Summary
What happens to police officers when someone forces them into a life-or-death decision?
In this episode of Vegas Crime Files, Heidi Harris speaks with retired Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer Marcus Martin, who spent nearly 25 years with Metro after serving nine years in the Marine Corps.
Marcus describes two incidents in his career involving suicide by cop, including a call during his first week on the jobthat he says he will never forget.
The conversation explores what these situations are really like for officers on scene, the emotional toll they carry afterward, and why these incidents are often misunderstood by the public.
What We Discuss
- What “suicide by cop” actually means
- A shocking incident during Marcus’s first week as a police officer
- The psychological impact these incidents have on officers
- Why the public often misunderstands police use-of-force situations
- What happens to officers after a critical incident
- The importance of counseling and support after traumatic calls
About Our Guest
Marcus Martin served nine years in the United States Marine Corps and nearly 25 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. During his career he worked patrol and critical incident investigations and experienced multiple situations involving suicide by cop.
About Vegas Crime Files
Vegas Crime Files explores the real stories behind crime in Las Vegas through interviews with the people who were there — detectives, journalists, and witnesses who experienced the cases firsthand.
Host Heidi Harris, a longtime Las Vegas broadcaster and member of the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame, brings decades of local knowledge and connections to the stories that shaped the city.
Transcripts
# Vegas Crime Files – Transcript
**Heidi Harris interviewing Marcus Martin**
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### Heidi Harris
In the last couple of weeks in Las Vegas there have been a couple of high-profile incidents involving what many people call **“suicide by cop.”** Police officers were forced to make a decision to kill someone to protect the lives of other people.
One of them involved the life of a three-year-old child. The mother had called and said her boyfriend was threatening to kill her and her baby. By the time the police got there, he walked toward police with the three-year-old in his arms, pointing a gun at the child’s head.
According to Metro Police and the press conference they held, the child was killed by the father and the police killed the father. There’s now a lawsuit, so we’re not going to litigate that here.
In another recent case, a woman called to say her ex-boyfriend was threatening to boil her dogs. She was frantically trying to get the dogs out of the house. Police show up and he’s saying he doesn’t care, he’s going to have a shootout with the cops. He’s chasing her down the street with a knife and officers had to eliminate the threat there too.
These are the kinds of things that happen all the time. **One out of five incidents where people die involving police are what they call suicide by cop.** But what nobody talks about is the impact it has on the lives of officers.
Do you think those officers who were present at the death of a three-year-old child are ever going to get over that? Even if it were an adult — which is most of the time — they never really get over it.
Joining me today is a man who has dealt with suicide by cop on two different occasions in his police career. **Marcus Martin** spent nine years in the Marine Corps and nearly 25 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
How are you, my friend?
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### Marcus Martin
Great Heidi. Good to talk to you again.
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### Heidi Harris
You and I have known each other for a long time — I’ve even done a couple of ride-alongs with you.
You told me you dealt with suicide by cop **twice** in your career. What are the odds of that?
---
### Marcus Martin
The first time was my **very first week outside field training**.
You hear senior officers say police work is **boredom laced with terror**, and that really describes that first incident.
We were eating lunch at the old Boulevard Mall on Maryland Parkway when a call came out about **a woman with a gun in the tunnels** underneath the roadway.
One thing you have to remember about calls is they’re not always what they sound like. The description might be wrong, the situation might be different — you never really know.
But when we got there the description was accurate.
A woman was sleeping on cardboard in the tunnel. She had photos of her family and notes in plastic bags next to her. Some junior high kids walked through the tunnels after school and saw her. Instead of leaving her alone, they bothered her.
She rolled over with a **.357 handgun** and told them to run.
They did.
---
### Heidi Harris
So the call to you was simply **a woman with a gun in the tunnel**.
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### Marcus Martin
Right.
When we arrived it was June, extremely bright outside. When you go from bright sunlight into those tunnels you **can’t see anything at first**.
We’re walking in front of these tunnels knowing someone could see us while we can’t see them.
Eventually my eyes adjust and I see her lying on her back with her head toward us. I can see her hands on her chest.
We move closer and give commands: **“Show me your hands.”**
When we get about twenty feet away she starts crying and says:
“I can’t take it anymore.”
Then she puts the gun to her forehead and pulls the trigger.
---
### Heidi Harris
Wow.
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### Marcus Martin
I didn’t even hear the gunshot at first. We were in a tunnel and the sound was deafening.
My ears were ringing. I remember keying the radio to call dispatch and noticing the tip of my gun was shaking.
The senior officers behind me calmly leaned over and said:
“Control, shots fired.”
That was my **first week** as a police officer.
---
### Heidi Harris
Even though she shot herself, you still say “shots fired.”
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### Marcus Martin
Right. It’s basically a **timestamp** for the incident. Later investigators will need to know exactly when a shot occurred.
Months later I realized how shaken I was. A woman had just **blown a hole in her head while I was talking to her**.
---
### Heidi Harris
How could that not affect you? You’re a human being.
Did you learn anything about her?
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### Marcus Martin
She was in her 50s. She left notes and photographs for her family explaining that this is what she wanted.
That’s the thing people don’t understand. In most of these cases it isn’t personal toward the police.
They simply want someone **to attend their death**.
They don’t realize you’re going to carry that image for the rest of your life.
I’m always going to see her lying there in that tunnel.
---
### Heidi Harris
It’s like when people commit suicide by jumping in front of trucks or trains. They don’t think about the driver who has to live with it.
---
### Marcus Martin
Exactly.
Suicide is actually far more common than homicide. Many of those incidents never even make the news.
---
### Heidi Harris
Back then, after something like that happened, did you get counseling?
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### Marcus Martin
It depended on your supervisor.
In my case, **one week out of field training**, I was sent back out on calls.
Later I realized I probably shouldn’t have been. I couldn’t even focus enough to write a simple report. I couldn’t sleep for a week.
---
*(Advertisement segment omitted for readability)*
---
### Heidi Harris
Had you seen a dead body before that?
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### Marcus Martin
Yes. I worked as a store detective before becoming a police officer.
One case involved a man stabbed with scissors during a love triangle. Even then I remember thinking strange things — like wondering why the men were fighting over the woman involved.
Critical incidents make your brain focus on odd details.
---
*(Conversation continues with multiple stories about crime scenes, paramedics, and how officers process trauma.)*
---
### Heidi Harris
Let’s talk about the **second suicide-by-cop situation** you experienced.
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### Marcus Martin
This one happened in **Summerlin**, a very nice neighborhood.
It started as a domestic violence call. The dispatcher told us the father had throwing stars — bladed weapons — but she forgot to tell us **he also had a gun**.
I arrived first and was waiting for backup. The family came out of the house — a mother and two kids — and while I was talking to them the father walked out wearing a bathrobe.
Both his hands were inside the robe pockets.
I ordered him to show his hands.
Suddenly the gun was in his hand.
He pointed it in the air, then toward me.
I fired.
He spun and ran, still holding the gun, so I fired again.
---
### Heidi Harris
Some people who don’t understand police work ask, “Why shoot again?”
But the threat isn’t over if the suspect still has the weapon.
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### Marcus Martin
Exactly.
Even if he’s running away, he still has a gun and could shoot someone else.
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### Heidi Harris
What happened with the family?
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### Marcus Martin
My sergeant focused on moving them to safety while I dealt with the suspect.
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### Heidi Harris
Departments now take officer trauma more seriously. What happens today after an incident like that?
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### Marcus Martin
Now there’s mandatory counseling with psychologists.
The department wants to make sure you’re still capable of doing the job and that the trauma isn’t destroying your family life.
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### Heidi Harris
Some officers worry that getting counseling could threaten their ability to carry a weapon.
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### Marcus Martin
That’s mostly a myth. The department prepares you from the academy for what will happen after a critical incident.
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### Heidi Harris
Marcus Martin, thank you for your service to this country and our community.
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### Marcus Martin
Thank you, Heidi. Thanks for having me.
---
### Heidi Harris
These are important issues that don’t get discussed enough. Regardless of whether the person who dies was a criminal or an innocent victim, these events have tremendous impact on the police officers involved.
I’m Heidi Harris.
You can reach me at **[Heidi@VegasCrimeFiles.com](mailto:Heidi@VegasCrimeFiles.com)**. Let me know if there are cases you’d like us to cover.
Follow us on social media **@VegasCrimeFiles** and visit **VegasCrimeFiles.com**.
We’ll see you on the next episode.