Las Vegas police are investigating an incident in which an officer fatally shot a 43-year-old father who had called 911 seeking help during a home break-in.
Brandon Durham contacted emergency services on Tuesday morning, reporting that two individuals were shooting outside his residence and attempting to break in, authorities said. According to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren, his call was among several 911 reports about gunfire in the Sunset Park neighborhood.
Koren told reporters that Durham was inside his house with his 15-year-old daughter and that he intended to lock himself in the bathroom; he also reported that three officers responded to the home around 12:40 a.m. and that “immediately” noticed damage to several vehicles as well as to the home’s windows.
During a press conference on Thursday, officials played body camera footage showing officers forcefully kicking down the home’s door upon arrival, with screams echoing from inside.
The footage shows two individuals struggling in a doorway—one wearing a red sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, and the other, a man seemingly in his underwear, with his arms wrapped around the person in the sweatshirt.
The man without clothing was later identified as Durham, while the individual in the sweatshirt was identified as Alejandra Boudreaux, a suspect in the case.
The video shows the officer firing his gun approximately two seconds after issuing the command, striking Durham. Both Durham and Boudreaux fell to the ground as the officer moved closer and fired five additional shots.
Stills from the video highlighted by Koren show the knife near Durham and Boudreaux both in the doorway and on the ground.
Koren stated that the investigation is still in its early stages, noting that only about three seconds elapsed between the first and last shots. Despite officers’ attempts to provide medical aid, Durham was pronounced dead at the scene.
Boudreaux was taken into custody during the incident, according to Koren. She faces multiple charges, including home invasion with a deadly weapon, domestic violence assault with a deadly weapon, willful or wanton disregard for the safety of others resulting in death, and child abuse, neglect, or endangerment.
Koren stated that Boudreaux appeared to have some connection to Durham, though police did not clarify the nature of their relationship. As a matter of fact, authorities believe the incident was deliberate and not a random act of violence.
According to NBC affiliate KSNV, a criminal complaint filed against Boudreaux alleges that she broke into the home armed with a weapon, intending to provoke a police response in what is sometimes referred to as “suicide by cop.”
Koren informed reporters that the officer’s use of force is being evaluated based on the standard set by the Supreme Court’s 1989 decision in Graham v. Connor. This ruling, which originated from a 1984 police brutality case, established the “objective reasonableness” standard for assessing the use of force.
Durham’s 15-year-old daughter, Isabella, told reporters that she is angry with the police department, stating that their actions have left her “fatherless for the rest of my life.”
