WATCH: Reporter asks if Trump is responsible for killing of Las Vegas journalist

A Las Vegas sheriff shut down questions from a reporter asking whether former President Donald Trump has any connection to the killing of a local journalist, pointing to Trump’s past criticism of the profession.

Las Vegas police arrested a county government official on Wednesday in connection to the fatal stabbing of Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German, although a motive remains unclear. Officials updated the media on the details of the homicide on Friday, prompting a local reporter to ask whether there was a connection to Trump and his “normalization of violence against journalists.”

“I think this is probably an inappropriate venue to speculate on that or opine on that. I think it needs to be stated and noted that it is troublesome because it is a journalist, and we expect journalism to be open and transparent and a watchdog for government,” said Sheriff Joseph Lombardo.

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“And when people take it upon themselves to create harm associated with that profession, I think it’s very important that we put all eyes on and address the case appropriately, such as we did in this case.”

German was found dead on Sept. 3 with multiple stab wounds, according to police. Officials identified Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles as a person of interest early on in the investigation, as German had reported on the government official for months and was reportedly pursuing a potential follow-up story.

“Telles was upset about articles that were being written by German as an investigative journalist that exposed potential wrongdoing, and Telles has publicly expressed his issues with that reporting,” Las Vegas police Capt. Dori Koren told reporters on Thursday.

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German had covered several controversial stories about Telles’s office, including allegations about a relationship he had with a subordinate employee and a work environment that featured bullying and favoritism. The journalist was apparently trying to write a follow-up article and had been waiting on the return of a public records request, according to the Review-Journal. 

Telles will be held at the Clark County Detention Center without bail until his next court appearance, which is scheduled for Tuesday. He faces one charge of murder with a deadly weapon.