3 women and dog found dead, man fatally shot by police in North Las Vegas: Police

Police shot and killed a man suspected in the deaths of three women and a dog in North Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon, according to local authorities.

Police first encountered the man in an apartment courtyard when he walked toward them with a gun in his hands and refused to stop or drop the gun. Two officers then shot the man, killing him, North Las Vegas police said in a statement.

After the shooting, police searched the area and found three women and a dog dead in two separate apartments. All three women and the man shot by police were pronounced dead at the scene.

A young child was found safe in one of the apartments. Neighbors had made 911 calls reporting a shooting, and police said a dispatcher was able to hear shots fired in the background.

North Las Vegas is a suburb directly north of Las Vegas, Nevada.

No identifying information has been released on the man shot by police or the three women who were found dead, including their cause of death. The Clark County Coroner's Office will release that information once their next of kin have been notified.

This is the first police shooting for the North Las Vegas police this year, according to the statement.

The investigation is still underway, and police said the identity of the officers who shot the man will be released after 48 hours.