District attorney clears three Las Vegas officers in 2011 fatal shootings

The district attorney's office has cleared Las Vegas police in three more fatal shootings.

In three reports released Wednesday, prosecutors said officers acted within the law in the shootings of Michael Dean Chevalier, Abdul Hamlan and David Paul Gonzalez.

Chevalier, 48, was killed April 4, 2011, by SWAT Sgt. Mike Quick after he burst into a woman's apartment with a gun, held her hostage for more than six hours and sexually assaulted her.

He told the woman he had planned to rob a nearby convenience store that afternoon but changed his plans because there were too many people and he noticed her smoking outside, the report said.

He burst into her unlocked door and began hitting her with the gun. She managed to wrestle the gun away and tried to shoot him, but the safety prevented the gun from firing.

He grabbed the gun and choked her, the report said.

Her cousin, who was on the phone when Chevalier attacked, heard the commotion and called 911.

Patrol officers soon arrived and knocked on the door. When she screamed for help, Chevalier pulled her back and held the gun to her side as officers kicked in the door, the report said.

Police came inside but quickly retreated after seeing the gun and believing they didn't have any cover from gunfire, the report said.

They called the SWAT team, which tried to negotiate a surrender for more than six hours. During that time, Chevalier emerged from the apartment and fired at police and at a nearby car before returning inside.

The woman said Chevalier took her to the bedroom, threatened to kill her and held her at gunpoint while he sexually assaulted her for two hours, the report said.

SWAT officers raided the apartment. As they came in, Chevalier rolled onto the floor and put the woman on top of him as a shield, according to the report.

As Quick approached them, Chevalier raised his gun. Quick grabbed Chevalier's weapon and tried to control it, but when he began to lose control of it, he put his gun to Chevalier's head and pulled the trigger once, the report said.

The woman said she moved her head to the side to give police a "clean shot."

About a week later, Las Vegas police officer Greg Watkins shot and killed Hamlan, 52, on April 13, 2011, at Hamlan's house at 3916 Grand Meadow St., near Fort Apache and Alexander roads.

Watkins and officer Roberto Henderson went to Hamlan's house about 11:40 a.m. after his roommate called police and said he was suicidal and had a gun. Both officers were Crisis Intervention Team members trained to deal with suicidal people.

The officers found him lying on the floor of his garage. After Watkins identified himself, Hamlan said, "Just go ahead and shoot me," and, after a brief conversation between them, revealed a .22-caliber gun from behind his head and pointed it at the officer, the report said.

Watkins fired six times. Hamlan was taken to MountainView Hospital, where he died.

Hamlan's roommate told investigators that the man was addicted to prescription painkillers and that she was going to take him to a rehab center that afternoon.

Six days later, officers Patrick Burke shot and killed Gonzalez, 32, after a brief car chase and shootout east of the Strip.

Gonzalez was wanted on a parole violation after spending 13 years in prison for second-degree murder when the officers tried to pull his car over about 8 p.m. on Cambridge Street near Flamingo Road. Instead of stopping, Gonzalez sped away on Flamingo toward the Strip, the report said.

Burke used the pursuit intervention technique, known as a PIT, and spun Gonzalez's car to a stop. Gonzalez emerged from the passenger door and immediately fired once at the officers while running away, the report said.

He fired another shot before Burke returned five rounds, hitting Gonzalez twice. His partner, officer Angela Suarez, did not shoot.

An autopsy found Gonzalez had methamphetamine in his system.

Investigators also linked Gonzalez's gun to an incident in the area two weeks earlier in which a gunman fired at a man leaving a Money Tree store but missed.

Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@review journal.com or 702-383-0281.