Las Vegas — A Las Vegas man was shot and killed by police after he broke into a home and called police for help, according to authorities and 911 calls.
Assistant Sheriff Dori Coren said Brandon Durham called 911 early Nov. 12 and said he was hiding with his 15-year-old daughter after someone broke into his home.
Durham is heard pleading with a dispatcher to “send someone over as quickly as possible” in an audio recording obtained by KVVU-TV in Las Vegas this week.
Coren identified the officer who shot Durham as Alexander Bookman, 26.
Bookman was one of the first officers to arrive and kick down the front door. Coren said officers found Durham in the hallway fighting over a knife with an intruder.
In a brief body camera video released by police, the officer fired one shot after yelling for the officer to drop the knife. Durham and the intruder both fell to the ground, and the officer moved closer, stood over them and fired five more rounds, the video shows.
Durham, 43, died at home.
Koren said Durham and the intruder knew each other. The intruder was arrested and charged with home invasion and assault.
David Roger, general counsel for the Las Vegas police union, said in a statement Saturday that Bookman did nothing wrong.
“While Mr. Durham’s death is tragic, Officer Bookman was doing his job and did not intend to commit a crime. “The person responsible for Mr Durham’s death is in custody,” he said.
Durham’s family wants Bookman fired and charged in the shooting.
“Mr. Durham did not threaten anyone. There is no justification for using force against Mr. Durham,” Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney representing the family, told a news conference, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Journal) reported.
“It is too early in the investigation to comment on possible charges,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a statement.
Bookman is on paid leave and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is investigating.
