District attorney clears Las Vegas SWAT officer in 2014 shooting

The Clark County District Attorney’s office announced Tuesday that the officer-involved shooting of Travis Doering in April 2014 was reasonable and legally justified.

The district attorney’s decision comes about a week after a police fatality public fact-finding review held June 10.

Travis Doering had been awake for five straight days and was high on methamphetamine when he was shot and killed by Las Vegas police April 8, 2014, Metro said in the public hearing.

Doering’s roommate called police about 3:30 the morning of the shooting to report that his roommate was under the influence of drugs and was having a mental breakdown, the DA’s office wrote in a release Tuesday.

The first officers to arrive at the southwest valley home set up a perimeter as Doering, armed with an assault rifle, walked in and out of the house several times.

Police negotiators spoke to Doering briefly on the phone, but the connection was lost. After several more failed attempts to reach Doering by phone, SWAT was called to the home.

Sniper John Wiggins, the first SWAT officer to arrive, took position on a roof with a clear line of sight of the front of Doering’s house.

Doering exited the house, loaded the assault rifle he was holding, chambered a round into the rifle and crouched next to a vehicle in the driveway of the home, aiming the weapon at two police officers behind a nearby minivan.

“Fearing for the lives of other officers, the SWAT officer fired one shot, striking Mr. Doering in the head and killing him,” the release said.

Doering had been exhibiting bizarre behavior in the days leading up to the shooting, the release said. He had stayed up for days without sleeping, was pacing constantly and had been using drugs, police said.

“In this situation, Mr. Doering’s actions were erratic and unpredictable” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in the release. “The SWAT officer on scene had every reason to believe that Mr. Doering posed a serious threat to other officers in the area, and he acted accordingly.”

Inside Doering’s bedroom police found a Mac-10 semi-automatic pistol with a silencer, a crossbow and ammunition for the assault rifle, a Metro homicide detective said at the review.

Wolfson’s decision is based on currently available evidence. The case could be reexamined if new information comes to light, the release said.

Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lauxkimber.