Henderson police officers involved in shooting identified

The five officers who shot at a 60-year-old pharmacy robbery suspect Monday after he fired on them were identified Wednesday by the Henderson Police Department.

They are: Sgt. Christopher Delacanal, hired in 1996; officer Richard Chen, hired in 2005; officer Robert Cottam, hired in 2002; officer Daniel King, hired in 1998; and officer Roger Matuszak, hired in 1996.

The officers are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal probe into the shooting at The District at Green Valley Ranch.

Police said Anthony Rogers, who was hospitalized, was booked by proxy on five counts of attempted murder and one count of robbery with a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting. He also is accused of stealing Percocet and oxycodone from a pharmacy on Horizon Ridge Parkway near Seven Hills Drive about 11:30 a.m. Monday.

According to Review-Journal articles, Delacanal and Matuszak have been involved in other high-profile incidents.

Delacanal was one of six officers who fatally shot Kelly "Amber" DuPriest, 39, who drove a stolen car at police while she was high on methamphetamine on June 7, 2009. A Clark County coroner's inquest ruled the shooting justifiable.

During the incident in the MacDonald Highlands community, the stolen car became stuck in gravel. At one point, DuPriest drove the car in reverse toward several officers, ignoring commands to stop. The officers fired 42 rounds at the vehicle. DuPriest was struck six times.

In December 2003, a federal jury ruled that Matuszak did not use excessive force or violate the civil rights of a man he arrested at Sunset Station.

Timothy Strange sued Matuszak and sought more than $225,000 in damages in the case. Strange alleged Matuszak needlessly slammed his head against a wall and threw him to the ground when he was arrested July 21, 1999. The jury took less than an hour in U.S. District Court to rule Matuszak did not batter Strange or violate his civil rights.

Monday's shooting was the second for Henderson police in 2011. It happened about 12 minutes after the pharmacy robbery. The shopping complex is more than three miles northeast of the pharmacy. Police said Rogers fired at least two shotgun blasts at officers, but no one was seriously injured.

On Tuesday, Scott Ricci, pharmacy director at NDC Pharmacy, said the robber told him he had cancer and needed Percocet. The suspect, identified by police as Rogers, told Ricci it was his day to die, then downed a few painkillers and fled.