An attendee at President Donald Trump’s rally on Wednesday appeared to jeer as Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo began to honor a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer, who was recently shot and killed on the job.
As Lombardo spoke at the rally in Las Vegas, a member of the crowd can be heard yelling “boo” when he mentioned officer Austin Abdelnabi.
“No, no, we’re not booing him,” Lombardo told the crowd member, adding, “He’s the officer that passed away here recently.”
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Abdelnabi, 30, was killed on Tuesday, when he was ambushed while responding to a call near Tropicana Avenue and Mountain Vista Street following reports of a man waving a gun, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.
Trump also addressed the shooting at the rally, saying: “Austin died a hero, and he will never be forgotten, never going to be forgotten. So to every law enforcement officer here today, we thank you for your service. And we say, God bless the men and women of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. And frankly, all of law enforcement.”
After the rally the president continued to praise Abdelnabi, calling him a “flawless person.” Trump told the local broadcaster KBTX-TV that he felt “so badly” about the news of the officer’s death, which he received as he came off the plane.
“I love the law enforcement, and he was outstanding. You know, they presented me with his record as a police officer, and it was flawless,” Trump said.
“He was a flawless person. He was a great person, and all you can say is God bless them all,” he added.
It is not clear why the rallygoer booed. Some X users, including the anti-MAGA group Call to Activism, speculated that the individual believed Lombardo was talking about Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive who won the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s U.S. Senate race on Wednesday.
How Was Officer Austin Abdelnabi Killed?
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police received multiple reports shortly before 4 p.m. on Tuesday of a man behaving erratically and waving a firearm near East Tropicana Avenue and Mountain Vista Street. Officers and police drones were sent to the area, authorities said.
Police located the man about a mile from the site of the initial call, near Mountain Vista Street and Hacienda Avenue. The suspect opened fire as officers approached, striking Abdelnabi, Metropolitan Police Captain Adam Seely said. At least one officer returned fire, killing the suspect at the scene.
Fellow officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers attempted to save Abdelnabi before he was taken to University Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. McMahill later described the shooting as an ambush.
Abdelnabi joined the department in November 2023 and served with its Southeast Area Command. A decorated Marine Corps veteran, he had been deployed to Africa and Okinawa, Japan, before becoming a police officer. He is survived by his wife of eight years, his parents, two brothers and a sister.
Trump’s Rally in Las Vegas
Trump addressed supporters at the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas on Wednesday, using the campaign-style appearance to promote his economic record and rally Nevada Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections.
The president focused heavily on tax provisions affecting workers in Nevada’s hospitality industry, including deductions for income earned through tips and overtime.
Trump said 440,000 tipped workers in the state had saved an average of $10,000 during the latest tax-filing season because of the changes.
Trump also discussed oil prices, health care, trade and immigration during the roughly 75-minute address. He promoted Republican candidates running in Nevada and was joined by Lombardo, who is seeking reelection in November.
Nevada has remained an important political battleground for Trump. In the 2024 election, he became the first Republican presidential nominee to carry the state since George W. Bush in 2004.
Trump Stops Toddler Running Off Stage
During the rally, Trump invited a Las Vegas police officer and a casino waitress onto the stage with their two young children to talk about tax breaks.
At one point, while the woman was speaking, her child began running toward the edge of the stage.
Trump jogged after the boy to stop him from falling, telling the crowd, “I don’t want him to be Biden and fall off the stage.”
The clip has been shared widely on social media, with one post garnering more than 1.7 million views.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Shakeema Edwards.
