Officer involved in 2008 shooting resigns

The Henderson police officer at the center of one of the Las Vegas Valley's most controversial shootings in recent memory resigned from the department Tuesday for undisclosed reasons.

Henderson spokesman Bud Cranor said Tuesday that Luke Morrison, 24, is no longer an employee of the city. Morrison was the officer who fatally shot 42-year-old ice cream truck driver Deshira Selimaj in 2008.

The resignation comes in the wake of accusations from a family member that Morrison engaged in "inappropriate behavior" with a teenager.

According to an April request for a restraining order filed in the Family Division of Clark County District Court, Morrison's father-in-law accused him of taking advantage of his daughter, Morrison's sister-in-law, when she was 15. She is now 18.

At an April hearing, the girl opposed the request for a restraining order. Both she and Morrison denied having a relationship.

The girl's father reported the allegation to Henderson police. Morrison has been married to the girl's older sister since Jan. 1, 2004, according to Clark County records.

Cranor wouldn't specify why Morrison resigned, saying it was a personnel matter. He said an allegation had been made against Morrison that was investigated by Henderson police.

"There was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing based on our investigation," Cranor said.

Morrison has been on paid administrative leave since July 21. His annual base salary was $64,349.

Morrison's shooting of Selimaj in 2008 was ruled justifiable by a coroner's inquest jury. But witnesses disputed the police version of what occurred.

On Feb. 12, 2008, Selimaj's Albanian-born husband had been pulled over in his ice cream truck for minor traffic violations at Sunridge Heights and Pecos Ridge parkways. Accompanied by two of the couple's three children, Selimaj drove her ice cream truck to the scene to help translate for her husband, Zyber Selimaj.

Police said the 42-year-old mother raised a knife in the direction of one of the officers and was shot by Morrison. Witnesses said she didn't have a knife and was kneeling on the street when she was shot.

At the April 2008 inquest, Henderson police officer Anthony Pecorella credited Morrison for saving his life. He said Morrison shot the woman after she lunged at him with a knife. According to inquest testimony, a knife found at the scene had a 41/2-inch blade.

On Sept. 1, the Henderson City Council approved a $700,000 settlement with the widower of Deshira Selimaj.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.