A man from Las Vegas reached out to the police for assistance during a home invasion but was shot and killed by an officer, as revealed by authorities and 911 recordings.
Early on November 12, Brandon Durham called 911, expressing that he was hiding alongside his 15-year-old daughter after an intruder broke into their residence. Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren reported that Durham urgently requested that the dispatcher “send someone ASAP,” a plea captured in audio recordings released recently.
The officer involved in the incident has been identified as Alexander Bookman, 26. He was among the first responders to the scene and forcibly entered through the front door. Upon entering, Koren noted that Bookman discovered Durham engaged in a struggle with the intruder over a knife in the hallway.
Body camera footage made public by the police showed the officer demanding that they drop the knife before firing a single shot. Following this, both Durham and the intruder fell to the ground, and the officer moved closer, firing an additional five shots while standing over them.
Koren confirmed that Durham, aged 43, succumbed to his injuries at the residence. An inquiry for comment on behalf of Officer Bookman was sent recently to David Roger, the general counsel for the police officers’ union in Las Vegas.
According to Koren, it was revealed that Durham had a prior connection with the intruder, who has since been apprehended and charged with home invasion and assault. Meanwhile, Durham’s family is demanding the termination of Officer Bookman and legal action against him for the shooting.
Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney representing Durham’s family, asserted at a press conference that “Mr. Durham was not threatening anyone. There’s no justification for the use of force against Mr. Durham,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson commented that it is premature to discuss any potential charges as the investigation is still ongoing. Officer Bookman is currently on paid administrative leave while the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department conducts its inquiry into the incident.