Las Vegas police pallbearers carry the coffin of police Sgt. Henry Prendes out of Central Christian Church on Feb. 7. Prendes was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call Feb. 1. Some experts suggest an officer's death can play a role in the mentality of other officers to reach more quickly for their firearms, but several sheriff's candidates disagree with the notion that Prendes' death foreshadowed recent officer-involved shootings. Photo by Clint Karlsen. Two women who identified themselves as relatives of Amir Rashid Crump comfort each other. A distraught man is restrained as he screams at Las Vegas police who killed his brother. Las Vegas police officers talk with McCarran International Airport personnel after a nonfatal officer-involved shooting at the airport. Las Vegas police officers confer after an officer-involved shooting at the Greenacres apartment complex on June 27.

The image of Tarance Hall's limp body being pulled from a car onto the Strip and cuffed after he was fatally shot by Las Vegas police late Tuesday resonated across the valley and was broadcast nationwide.

And though critics wonder whether the Metropolitan Police Department is resorting to deadly force too soon, police continue to defend their use of guns because, they say, the criminal element has become less cooperative and more prone to engage officers violently.

Hall's shooting was the 18th officer-involved shooting this year by the police department and the 15th since police Sgt. Henry Prendes, 37, was slain by Amir Rashid Crump on Feb. 1. Hall's shooting also was the eighth fatal shooting this year. In at least three of the 18 shootings, nobody was injured.

Some national experts suggest an officer's death can play a role in the mentality of other officers to reach more quickly for their firearms.

Lt. Nelson Andreu, a retired detective for the Miami Police Department and an expert on officer-related shootings, said the shooting of a police officer can cause other officers to become more concerned with their own safety, which can lead to officer-related shootings.

But local police say that's not a factor.

The numbers don't tell the whole story, said Undersheriff Doug Gillespie.

"It's really important we don't overreact, as an organization, to the numbers," Gillespie said. "We look very closely at what led up to the situation and the decisions the officers made."

THE NUMBERS

Last year, there were 12 officer-related shootings involving Las Vegas police, nine of which were fatal. In 2004, there were 21, 10 of which were fatal.

So far, seven of the eight fatal shootings by officers this year have been found to be justified after Clark County coroner's inquests. An inquest has yet to be set for Hall's death.

Those fatal shootings include officers shooting a murder suspect in the back while he was handcuffed and running from police, and officers shooting unarmed men who police say were using their cars as a weapon while trying to escape.

Gillespie, who is one of 16 candidates running to be Clark County's next sheriff, said the department reviews officer-involved shootings on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the officers acted properly or whether any changes are needed to department policies or training.

In the past five years, the number of officer-involved shootings has been as high as 33 and as low as 13, Gillespie said, citing annual totals different from those provided by the department's public information office. Gillespie said he did not think the recent spike in shootings is attributable in any way to Prendes' slaying.

Department leaders review policies on a regular basis and after police shootings, he said. Policies change from time to time, but Gillespie said he has no plans to change current protocols.

Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, said officers "have the right and the duty to engage in the use of deadly force in situations where there is a serious threat of loss of life or bodily injury to them or other people."

"But a shoot-first-ask-questions-later attitude is clearly unacceptable for both the public as well as the officers themselves," he said.

"It does appear that there is a pattern where police officers lack either the training or the supervision to take situations where deadly force is not required, such as where people are not armed, are not threatening anyone, or perhaps under the influence or mentally ill, and being too quick to use deadly force," Lichtenstein said.

An informal survey of major cities across the country shows fluctuation in the number of officer-involved shootings. In the past year and a half, San Jose, Calif., with a population of 912,000, has seen just two fatal shootings compared with Las Vegas' 17 during the same period. Los Angeles, a city of 3.8 million, has had 17 fatal shootings since the beginning of 2005.

Philadelphia, the sixth most dangerous large city, according to Kansas-based research group Morgan Quitno Press, has seen its officer-related fatal shootings jump from two last year to 15 this year to date.

A Philadelphia police officer was shot and killed May 8, said Philadelphia police Capt. Ben Nash. The shooting, which occurred when the officer was responding to a robbery, has taken a toll on the officers mentally, he said. But the spike in the city's shootings reflects the violent crime in the community, he said.

"A lot of bad guys have guns," Nash said.

PRENDES SHOOTING

It was a sunny February day when 14-year veteran Sgt. Henry Prendes responded to a domestic violence call at 8336 Feather Duster Court, near Durango Drive and the Las Vegas Beltway.

He was confronted by a fledgling rapper with an assault-style rifle.

Prendes was shot and fell to the ground. As he began to get back up, 21-year-old Amir Rashid Crump went up to him, aimed and fired the rifle into the sergeant's head, executing him.

Crump was killed after engaging other officers in a gunbattle.

Prendes was the first Las Vegas police officer in 17 years to be slain in the line of duty.

Several sheriff's candidates disagreed with the notion that Prendes' death foreshadowed the recent officer-involved shootings, arguing instead that the increase is a symptom of the increasing violence in the community.

"I think segments of society are getting more violent and more prone to confronting officers," said candidate Bill Conger, a 29-year veteran of the department.

"I'm sure that when we have an officer lost due to a police shooting, that would be on officers' minds," he said. "But I don't think there is now more of a willingness to use deadly force. I think it heightens their awareness of what's going on and the potential danger."

Retired Lt. Moe Mattingly, a 20-year department veteran and also a candidate for the sheriff's job, agreed.

"Officers are briefed daily on officers killed in the country," he said.

The reason is twofold, he said: to heighten the awareness of officers and remind them how dangerous the job is and to look at what the officers did or did not do that would have allowed them to be alive today.

"You also have to put the numbers in perspective. There have already been a half million (calls) so far this year, and all of those can be dangerous, and we have only had 18 officer-involved shootings," Mattingly said. In that regard, he said, the numbers are not that high.

"The 20 years I served, I never fired my weapon," Mattingly said. "But there were many times that I have come close."

Las Vegas police officer Laurie Bisch, a 13-year veteran and the only female sheriff's candidate, said the Prendes shooting was a wake-up call for many officers.

"We have criminals out there who are not afraid to use deadly force," she said. "With the population growth there comes a whole new element, and those criminals are brazen."

Bisch works patrol in the South Central Area Command, an area inundated with gangs and drug use. She said Las Vegas has developed a reputation among criminals in California and Arizona.

"They think it's easy to beat the system here. In California, they are tough with their three-strikes rule, and Arizona has tough new laws that are keeping criminals in jail for longer periods of time. Vegas is often the place of choice for these criminals."

And there are not enough officers to patrol Las Vegas, she added.

"We used to have two to three officers handling a call. Now there may only be one officer."

'LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY'

Lichtenstein said the coroner's inquest system, which he labeled a farce, leads to a "real lack of accountability."

"When an officer knows he will go before a coroner's inquest and not be asked important, tough questions before the event, maybe the unacceptable number of police shootings is not that surprising."

One candidate running to be Clark County's next sheriff agrees.

Lt. Ron Williams said he would like to see a Blue Ribbon commission review what he believes is an outdated inquest process.

"The public trust has deteriorated in our police department because of the current system," he said. "The bottom line is we need to be more open with the public in what goes on in these situations."

Williams added that he doesn't have a problem with the current use-of-force policies.

Dean Ishman, president of the Las Vegas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said his group is looking at the number of shootings and the situations that led to them. Five of the suspects killed this year were black.

The group is planning to present suggestions and ask for changes to the police department's deadly-force policy and the coroner's inquest process Tuesday.

"We are not coming and pointing fingers," Ishman said. "These guys do have a tough job to do, but we are still concerned about the ... surging number of officer-involved shootings."

Lichtenstein said it might be helpful for an agency such as the U.S. Justice Department to look into the matter.

But Gillespie said the system of checks and balances that includes the coroner's inquest process helps ensure that police shootings are thoroughly reviewed.

"I think our policies and procedures are sound," he said.

Bisch concurred, defending the police department's training as being the best in the nation and saying officers must abide by a strict "use of force" policy.

Bisch also pointed to the internal investigation done after an officer-involved shooting. She praised the coroner's inquest process as one that "leaves no stone unturned."

"Personally, I think it is fine the way it is. And the families have the option of pursuing the case in civil court."

Bisch said the public needs to be better educated on what to expect when contacted by the police.

"None of us (police officers) want to be involved in a shooting," she said. "But I don't want one officer to have to worry what the public is going to think when they are doing their job. A deadly force scenario can take place in a split second. It's important the public realizes we don't have trigger-happy cops."

Review-Journal writers Adam Aasen, Brian Haynes, David Kihara and Carri Geer Thevenot contributed to this report.

Information on Officer-involved shootings in 2006 provided by Police

JAN. 2

LOCATION: In the front yard of a residence at Rochelle Avenue and Mountain Vista Street

SUSPECT: Edgar Doubleday, 47, of Las Vegas

RACE OF SUSPECT: White

CIRCUMSTANCES: Doubleday was killed after he opened fire on an officer who was investigating a claim by a woman who said someone was stalking her outside her home and waving a gun. (Cause of death: gunshot wound to the head/neck.)

OFFICER: Rodolfo Gil

CORONER'S INQUEST: A jury concluded that the shooting was justified.

JAN. 2

LOCATION: Outside the Lowe's home store (parking lot) at 2875 E. Charleston Blvd., near Fremont Street

SUSPECT: Santana Baca, 46, of New Mexico

RACE OF SUSPECT: Hispanic

CIRCUMSTANCES: Police said Baca, a fugitive, pulled a pistol from his waistband during a struggle. Police said he was shot by three officers after a stun gun failed to subdue him. (Cause of death: multiple gunshot wounds.)

OFFICERS: Sgt. Danny Southwell, Michael Kitchen, Fred Merrick

CORONER'S INQUEST: A jury concluded that the shooting was justified.

FEB. 1

LOCATION: Feather Duster Court, near Durango Drive and Patrick Lane (front porch)

SUSPECT: Amir Rashid Crump, 21, of Las Vegas

RACE OF SUSPECT: Black

CIRCUMSTANCES: Crump was killed during a gunbattle after he fatally shot Henry Prendes, a 37-year-old Las Vegas police sergeant who was responding to a domestic disturbance call. (Cause of death: multiple gunshot wounds.)

OFFICERS: Several, fatal shot not determined

CORONER'S INQUEST: A jury concluded that the shooting was justified.

FEB. 9

LOCATION: Woodridge Villas apartment complex on Owens Avenue, near Eastern Avenue

SUSPECT: Christopher Hawkins, 32, of Las Vegas

RACE OF SUSPECT: Black

CIRCUMSTANCES: Hawkins was killed after he opened fire on officers who had responded to a complaint of marijuana smoke in the complex. (Cause of death: multiple gunshot wounds.)

OFFICERS: Richard Gay, Charles Collingwood

CORONER'S INQUEST: A jury concluded that the shooting was justified.

MARCH 13

LOCATION: 606 Belsay Castle Court (front door), near Fort Apache Road and Windmill Lane

SUSPECT: John Jackman, 43, of Las Vegas

RACE OF SUSPECT: White

CIRCUMSTANCES: Police said an officer shot Jackman twice at his residence after he lunged at the officer while armed with two knives. Police were called to the home by Jackman's girlfriend, who said Jackman had assaulted her, was bipolar and had suicidal tendencies. (Cause of death: multiple gunshot wounds.)

OFFICER: Byron Bunitsky

CORONER'S INQUEST: A jury concluded that the shooting was justified.

april 28

LOCATION: Parking lot of Sunset Breeze apartments in The Lakes neighborhood

SUSPECT: Aaron Jones, 36, residence unknown

RACE OF SUSPECT: Black

CIRCUMSTANCES: Police said Jones, a burglary suspect, was shot as he attempted to flee the scene by striking an officer with his vehicle. (Cause of death: multiple gunshot wounds.)

OFFICERS: John Wiggins, 33, and William Mosher, 34

CORONER'S INQUEST: A jury concluded that the shooting was justified.

May 13

Location: Broadstone Sunrise Mountain apartments, near Stewart Avenue and Nellis Boulevard (sidewalk/parking lot, died at UMC trauma)

Suspect: Swuave Lopez, 17, residence unknown

Race of suspect: Black

Circumstances: Police shot Lopez, a handcuffed murder suspect, after he escaped from a police vehicle and ran from the scene. (Cause of death: Gunshot wound of back.)

Officers: Shane Womack, 28, and Ken Hardy, 39

Coroner's Inquest: A jury concluded that the shooting was justified.

June 11

Location: 5353 S. Jones Blvd., near Hacienda Avenue

Suspect: Austin Bryan, 53, of Las Vegas

Circumstances: Officers responded to a disturbance call at the residence. As the officers knocked on the door, police said, the occupant opened the door and pointed a handgun at them. An officer shot the suspect twice, striking him in the chest, after he refused to obey commands to drop the weapon. Shooting was nonfatal.

Officer: James Rubio

June 27

Location: West Washington Avenue and Jones Boulevard

Suspect: Francisco Fabian, 21, residence unknown

Circumstances: Police said Fabian was shot after he pointed a gun at two officers. Suffered nonfatal injuries.

Officers: William Jones, 35, and Theodore Schaefer, 23

June 27

Location: McCarran International Airport

Suspect: Michael Allgood, 19, residence unknown

Race of suspect: White

Circumstances: Police said Allgood grabbed a 3-year-old boy and held a knife to his throat. Allgood was shot twice after he dropped the boy and lunged at an officer and a tourist who had confronted him. An officer used a stun gun on Allgood about the same time as the shooting. Nonfatal injuries.

Officers: Eugene Engle, 42, and Julius Prator, 52

July 4

Location: The Strip at Flamingo Road (died at UMC)

Suspect: Tarance Hall, 31, of Las Vegas

Race of suspect: Black

Circumstances: Two officers on bicycles confronted Hall after he stopped his car in the middle of the intersection, blocking traffic and blasting music.

As Hall drove away, one of the officers went with the car about 30 feet until it crashed into a sign.

The officer fell head first into the car, and the air bag deployed, knocking the officer unconscious. Hall put the vehicle in reverse, and the other officer fired once, striking Hall in the chest.

Name of officer: Ryan McBride, 30

Coroner's inquest: Not yet scheduled.

July 6

Location: Outside a Mervyn's department store, Charleston and Nellis boulevards

Suspect: Deangelo Williams, 20, of Las Vegas

Circumstances: Williams was shot once in the left forearm. Police said Williams broke a restraining order by entering the Mervyn's store and asking to speak to his ex-girlfriend. He then put a gun to a manager's head.

Police said Williams was shot after he ran out of the store and began to raise the gun at officers in a marked unit. Nonfatal injuries.

Officer: Name and age not yet released.

REVIEW-JOURNAL

FATAL POLICE SHOOTINGS

Metropolitan Police Department officer-involved shootings from 2001 to present