District attorney: SWAT sniper in 2014 shooting will not face charges
No charges will be filed in the March 2014 shooting death of Ronald Tate by SWAT sniper Charles Moser, the Clark County district attorney’s office said Tuesday.
The district attorney’s office concluded that Moser’s actions were “reasonably and legally justified” under the circumstances, according to a 12-page report released on its website.
“We learned after Mr. Tate’s death that in the days leading up to the incident he was legally trespassed from three different locations for erratic behavior,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “Additionally, his family shared with us that he had been displaying suicidal thoughts, including disposing of his assets and thanking his sister for her help in his life. Unfortunately, his actions on March 16, 2014, left officers with no choice but to protect innocent people in the area from imminent harm.”
The day Tate was shot and killed, an employee of Vegas Extreme Skydiving called for police and reported that he, and two other private citizens, approached Tate’s motorhome, which was parked on the parachute landing zone near the Primm airport. They said Tate pointed a semi-automatic handgun at them.
Moser shot Tate when he saw him operate the bolt action to the gun during a standoff with police.
Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl.
