********* – A ******* security guard shot back and ****** a public transit passenger who opened **** when he was kicked off a bus on the ********* Strip early Monday morning, ****** said.

Authorities said the ******** happened a little before 2 a.m. in front of the Paris casino in the heart of the tourist district. Part of the Strip was closed to traffic in the hours after the security officer was left with ******** that didn’t appear to be life-threatening, Lt. Dennis O’Brien said.

Investigators said a security officer contracted by the Regional Transportation Commission told a passenger to get off the bus because of some kind of a ***********.

The man then pulled a handgun and shot the security officer multiple times, ****** said.

The officer ***** back, fatally wounding the man whose identity has not yet been released.

Both men were lying on the sidewalk when officers arrived, ****** said. The guard was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition.

Regional Transportation Commission General Manager Tina Quigley declined to comment on the details of the ********, citing the pending *************. But her agency issued a statement saying officials’ prayers and condolences were with the families of those involved and that the safety of passengers is their highest priority.