A Las Vegas family is condemning police after an officer shot and killed a man who called for help during a home invasion.
The shooting happened Tuesday around 12:40 a.m., the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release after the man’s death. The department later released more information at a press conference about the shooting.
The victim, 43-year-old Brandon Durham, was one of multiple people who called police Tuesday about a shooting at his home, the police department said.
Durham was inside his home with his 15-year-old daughter when multiple people entered his home through the front and back doors, Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said at the press conference.
He had told his daughter to lock herself in her room and hide, according to television station KSNV.
He then told police he was locking himself in the bathroom, according to the police department.
Once officers arrived, they saw multiple damaged vehicles in the driveway and saw damaged windows on the home. The officers also heard “screaming and banging from inside the house,” Koren said.
Alexander Bookman was the first officer to enter the home after kicking the door open, Koren said. Bookman made his way to an L-shaped hallway in the home and once he turned a corner, he saw Durham and a woman, 31-year-old Alejandra Boudreaux, struggling over a knife.
Bookman told the pair to drop the knife, then shot his gun, hitting Durham and sending the homeowner and the alleged intruder to the floor. Altogether, Bookman fired six rounds, Koren said.
Officers took Boudreaux into custody and tried to save Durham, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
This is the 13th police shooting this year in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s jurisdiction, Koren said at the press conference, and is the eighth fatal police shooting this year. Last year, there were six police shootings, two of which were fatal, he said.
According to Koren, investigators believe Durham and Boudreaux knew each other, so they considered the initial call a domestic incident.
Police said Boudreaux was booked into the Clark County Detention Center. She was charged with one count of performing an act in willful or wanton disregard of safety resulting in death, one count of home invasion with a deadly weapon, one count of assault with a deadly weapon and domestic violence, as well as one count of child abuse, neglect or endangerment.
Body camera footage shows officer round corner, shoot homeowner
Koren gave more details about the Bookman, the 26-year-old officer who shot Durham. He has been with the department since 2021, and is assigned to the Community Safety Division, part of the South Central Area Command. He has been placed on routine paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a review of this incident, police said in a news release.
The age-restricted body camera footage shows Bookman speaking to dispatchers while on his way to the scene. Once he exited his vehicle, he briefly spoke to another officer to say they needed to make entry.
Once inside, Durham could be heard screaming “hey” repeatedly. Following the sound of his screams, Bookman made his way to the L-shaped hallway with his weapon drawn and yelled, “Hey, drop the knife!” According to the footage, he then fired his gun, making the victim and assailant fall.
“Put your hands up,” he told Durham and the suspect.
Police department’s specialized team is reviewing shooting
Speaking to local media, Durham’s sister Diane Wright said his death makes no sense.
“You shoot him instead of the one that’s in a red hoodie and ski mask?” Wright said to television station KSNV.
His daughter Isabella said she is disgusted with the police department.
“I am disgusted in how the Metropolitan Police told my father, after killing him, to stay down,” she said to KSNV. “Knowing, treating him like he was the suspect in the situation, he was the victim, and I’m disgusted that the Metropolitan Police will allow me to live fatherless for the rest of my life.”
The police department said its Critical Incident Review Team is looking into Durham’s killing.
“This review focuses on policy, tactics, and training as it relates to this use of force,” the department said in a news release.
While taking questions from local media, Koren said there was no gun found, but the initial call did mention multiple suspects shooting into the home and going inside.
Koren showed stills of the shooting at the press conference and said Durham and the suspect were both holding the knife when Officer Bookman found them.
“Also, as you can see, both individuals are on the floor, and one person is still holding a knife,” Koren said.
In response to Durham’s family and their comments, Koren said Durham’s death is “tragic, and it’s something we take very seriously.”
He went on to say that the officers were responding to a “highly dynamic and violent call,” and they had been told multiple people had been shooting into the home and had made it inside.
“They believed there was danger and violence occurring,” he said. “The challenging part is when they round the corner and they encounter two individuals and there’s a knife at play … they make their decisions at that point,” he said.
Slain Las Vegas man was a great dad, realtor, family says
Durham was a realtor for Signature Real Estate Group, according to the agency’s website. He had lived in the area for over 15 years.
Ailin Averhoff is Durham’s ex-wife and the mother of his daughter. She told USA TODAY Monday afternoon that he was an excellent father.
“Excellent doesn’t even begin to describe him,” she told USA TODAY, adding that he never missed their daughter’s milestones. He made it to every school dance, basketball game and also went to the gym with their daughter to keep her encouraged.
His family started a GoFundMe to raise money for memorial expenses, counseling and emotional support.
He leaves behind his partner Rachael Gore, his daughter Isabella and his 13-year-old stepson Branden.
