Man’s death in August ruled accidental after being investigated as homicide

The Clark County coroner has ruled a man’s death was an accident, although police initially investigated it as a homicide.

On Aug. 20, patrol officers responded to a report of a battery incident at an apartment complex in the 5100 block of Greene Lane, near the intersection of Hacienda Avenue and Maryland Parkway, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Officers located David Lee Helmer suffering from unknown injuries, Metro said in a news release. The 44-year-old Las Vegas resident was taken to Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center, where he died, the release said.

Helmer’s death was investigated as a homicide because he died after a fight, Metro officer Larry Hadfield said.

However, detectives noted the amount of physical trauma the man sustained from the fight didn’t appear proportional to his death, and no arrest was made, he said. Instead, Metro waited for the coroner to determine the cause and manner of the man’s death because detectives needed “conclusive evidence to state that this fight resulted in that man’s death,” Hadfield said.

Contact Jessica Terrones at jterrones@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find @JessATerrones on Twitter.