Off-duty Edmonds police officer dies in Las Vegas stabbing

EDMONDS, Wash. — The Edmonds Police Department is the latest law enforcement agency dealing with the loss of an officer.

One of their own, officer Tyler Steffins, was killed while visiting Las Vegas last weekend.

He is the third member of law enforcement from western Washington killed in the last two weeks.

On Saturday at around 9:40 p.m., two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers on foot patrol were flagged down by people who said there was an argument on a pedestrian bridge near the 3900 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard between the New York-New York and MGM casinos.

As the officers began walking to the area, they were told a man had been stabbed.

When officers arrived, they saw a man, later identified as 58-year-old Freddy Allen, holding a knife, according to a LVMPD arrest report. Allen ran away from officers and threw the knife into the Statue of Liberty fountain in front of the New York-New York casino. He was arrested shortly after.

The knife was described as a hunting knife with a 6-inch fixed blade.

The victim, identified as Edmonds police officer Tyler Steffins, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The arrest report said a man with two dogs and Allen had been loitering on the pedestrian bridge when Steffins asked if he could pet the dogs. Steffins and the dog owner, who believed Steffins was petting his dogs aggressively, got into an argument after the dog owner asked Steffins to stop.

As the dog owner and Steffins continued to argue, Allen approached the men and stabbed Steffins once, according to the police report.

Allen was booked into the Clark County Detention Center for investigation of open murder with a deadly weapon.

Anyone with any information about the stabbing is asked to contact the LVMPD homicide unit at 702-828-3521, or email homicide@lvmpd.com. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.

About Officer Tyler Steffins

Steffins joined the Edmonds Police Department in August 2018. He was a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2007 to 2011, with recognition for his service during Operation Enduring Freedom.

He graduated from the police academy in March 2019 and was first overall in his class.

Steffins worked as a patrol officer for both day and night shifts.

Steffins is survived by his wife, mother, father, brothers, sister, two young children, friends, and loved ones.

“This is a tragic loss for our agency when our staff and the entire region is already in a state of mourning for other fallen officers. While we grieve with heavy hearts, our peer support program members are actively engaging with our staff. Tyler was a valued member of our police family whose infectious smile and contagious laugh endeared him to his peers. 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,” said Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett.

A memorial for Steffins continues to grow in the plaza at the offices for the city of Edmonds where his patrol vehicle has been parked.

As Steffins did not die in the line of duty, his family will be handling funeral arrangements.

But, Edmonds police say they’ll help the family if needed and a visit to the memorial, even if just for a moment, means a lot to them.

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