Inquest set in police shooting of Trevon Cole

A coroner's inquest into the death of 21-year-old Trevon Cole has been scheduled for Aug. 20, the Clark County Coroner's office announced Wednesday.

The inquest process, often criticized by local civil rights advocates, including the ACLU, could be tested again when a jury hears the testimony about Cole's death on the night of June 11.

Cole was unarmed and in his bathroom when he was shot by a Las Vegas police officer who was serving a search warrant at his apartment on East Bonanza Road.

Officer Bryan Yant shot Cole once in the head with an AR-15 rifle. A medical examiner ruled Wednesday that the gunshot killed him.

Cole's fianceé, who was in the apartment, said Cole had his hands up when he was shot.

Police said in a statement that Cole made a "furtive movement" toward the officer.

Police, who were looking for marijuana after they said they bought the substance from Cole three times, said Nellis Air Force base investigators also were at the scene when the warrant was served.

"They were not part of the entry team or enforcement action, but wanted to interview the subject afterwards as part of an investigation into narcotics activity on local military property," police said in a statement.

It was Yant's third shooting, and second fatal shooting, in his 10 years with the department. An inquest jury into Yant's 2002 fatal shooting found the officer justified in his actions despite a serious discrepancy between his story and evidence at the scene.

The inquest process has been heavily criticized for being weighted in favor of the police department. Only once in the 34-year history of the process has a jury not ruled the officers' actions justified or excusable.

Attorney Andre Lagomarsino will represent the family at the inquest.

"We're looking forward to a full and thorough examination of the facts that led to Trevon Cole being killed in his bathroom," he said Wednesday. "We're going into this process with an open mind, and we hope that all the questions that the family submits in advance of the inquest will be asked and answered."