Man faces trial in shootings of officers serving search warrant

A man arrested after shooting three Las Vegas police SWAT officers last month will face trial on attempted murder and other charges.

But the judge who presided over Tuesday's preliminary hearing for Emmanuel Dozier nearly tossed out the most serious charges and questioned whether the 32-year-old knew the people shouting and pounding at his front door were police officers.

"I don't think you have attempted murder," Henderson Justice of the Peace David Gibson told prosecutors. "I don't think anybody knew who they were shooting at."

Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo persuaded the judge to keep intact three counts of attempted murder against a police officer, arguing that Dozier's intent when he fired through the door was a matter for a District Court jury to decide.

Gibson bound the case over to District Court, where Dozier will face multiple counts of attempted murder, battery with substantial bodily harm and selling cocaine. Gibson dropped charges of firing a gun in a building and assaulting the unharmed officers outside the door.

Gibson also lowered Dozier's bail from more than $3 million to $75,000.

The four-hour hearing featured testimony from three SWAT officers who were shot the evening of Dec. 28 as they tried to enter the front door of Dozier's house, 2972 Panorama Ridge Drive, in the Seven Hills community.

The officers were serving a search warrant based on three cocaine sales Dozier made with an undercover officer outside the home, police said.

Sgt. James Pate Causey, the SWAT team leader, testified he classified the warrant as high-risk based on several factors, including Dozier's California arrest on second-degree robbery and felony resisting a police officer.

Dozier's lawyer, public defender Joseph Abood, said the arrest happened when Dozier was a juvenile and ended as a misdemeanor conviction.

Causey said the officers continuously shouted, "Police. Search warrant," outside the front door as they tried to remove a metal security door using various tools, including a pry bar and a shotgun that fires copper rounds designed to destroy locks.

When the door didn't budge, officers broke out a front window to see inside, he said.

Moments later, gunfire zipped through the door, hitting Causey and two other officers.

The officers retreated, and the incident ended when Dozier surrendered.

Dozier's girlfriend, Belinda Saavedra, and her 13-year-old daughter, Adrianna Saavedra, testified they thought criminals were breaking in.

Adrianna was in the room next to the door when she heard pounding and yelling outside. She said she never heard anyone say, "Police."

She ran to the master bedroom and warned Saavedra and Dozier, who was asleep, that someone was breaking into the house.

Dozier woke up, retrieved his handgun, and fired through the front door, according to testimony.

"Manny had no intent other than to protect himself and his family," Abood said.

Gibson said the case "cries out" for an evaluation of the Metropolitan Police Department's policies, including the classification of search warrant risk levels.

"This is a scary, scary situation," Gibson said. "This whole thing was handled in an unusual way."

Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281.