Officers involved in fatal shooting on New Year’s Eve ID’d
The officers involved in the shooting death of a wanted man from Arizona on New Year's Eve have been identified.
They are Sgt. Robert Bohanon, 37, and officer Blake Walford, 27, according to a release from Metro.
Bohanon has been employed with Metro for more than 18 years, and Walford has been employed with the department for a little more than a year, the release said.
The man they shot was holding a cell phone in his right hand, hidden from view as he approached officers. He did not follow multiple orders to stop, show his hand and drop what he was holding, Metro Capt. Matt McCarthy said. That's when officers shot him "several" times. McCarthy said Thursday.
The man was wanted out of Arizona on violent felonies, and U.S. Marshals were conducting surveillance on him just before the shooting. But around 2 p.m. he fled into the Monaco Cove planned community, just north of Desert Breeze park, and Metro said the marshals office asked police for help.
Both officers have been placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of a review of the event.
Reporter Rachel Crosby contributed to this story. Contact Lawren Linehan at llinehan@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lawrenlinehan.
