Did Las Vegas Police use excessive force in a recent casino robbery standoff?

In a recent Las Vegas Police encounter, a man was shot after a police standoff. The use of a bodycam makes it clear that the police were not acting with excessive force, because there was the threat of immediate and deadly harm, however six shots were fired to stop the victim and that may need to be reviewed by the department.

On August 22, 2019 a man was shot after pointing a gun at police after a failed robbery attempt at the Aquarius Casino in Las Vegas.  Mr. Lopez was shot six times after pointing a loaded gun at police in a standoff outside of the casino.  Was excessive force a factor in the police encounter after a seven-hour standoff?  Bodycam footage will be reviewed by the police department.

Excessive Force.

Excessive Force is utilizing more physical force than necessary to subdue a criminal causing bodily harm or death – this can lead to actions or accusations of crimes against a person including: 1) assault; 2) sexual assault; 3) battery;  and 4) battery with a deadly weapon.  Police are trained to shoot and/or kill a suspect who poses an immediate harmful or deadly threat. An immediate and deadly threat was present when Mr. Lopez pointed a loaded weapon at police officers.

Community Trust.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has been making efforts to regain the trust of the community through: the use of bodycams on officers; publicizing Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s annual reports for transparency; updating internal affairs operating procedures; public access to  Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s statistics for all police encounters data and related outcomes; and participation in de-escalation training.

Common acts of police brutality include:

Physical coercion or harassment in the subtle form of making a victim uncomfortable by inducing pain or discomfort during questioning.

False arrest is the unlawful restraint of a person’s freedom of movement, and can result from police providing false information in a police report, offering false evidence or lying in court.

Wrongful search and seizure activity, including unreasonable searches relating to gathered evidence, can cause an overturned conviction if it is found that the evidence was the basis of the charges posed on a victim by misguided police activities.

Bias-based policing is the intentional practice by an individual law enforcement officer who incorporates prejudicial judgments based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, religious beliefs, or age, that are inappropriately applied in the performance of his/her duties and can be considered a crime of malicious prosecution (NRS 199.310) in Nevada when an officer causes an innocent person to be arrested for a crime based on any of these prejudicial practices.

Hire legal counsel.

If you feel you have been a victim of any form of police brutality in Las Vegas, contact an experienced lawyer at the Southwest Injury Law Firm for a free review of your case with an explanation as to how state and federal laws may impact the possible recovery of damages to you.  Damages may include hospital/medical expenses; past and future permanent disability payments; emotional distress including depression and anxiety; loss of enjoyment of life; physical pain and suffering; and loss of love and companionship due to a death or serious injury caused by police brutality through excessive force.

Southwest Injury Lawyers

Las Vegas Office

8716 Spanish Ridge Ave, Suite 120

Las Vegas, NV 89148

702-600-3200

602-900-9947

Sources:

https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-200.html

http://lvpmsa.org/Forms/Dept.%20Man%207-14-07.pdf

https://www.lvmpd.com/en-us/Documents/LVMPD_Collab_Reform_Final_Report_v6-final.pdf