Scott inquest may be shown on TV

Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak has asked that the coroner's inquest into the police shooting of Erik Scott at the Summerlin Costco be televised on the county's cable channel.

Sisolak requested Friday that commissioners vote at the Sept. 7 meeting on whether to broadcast the hearing live on Channel 4.

Commissioners must approve televising the Sept. 22 inquest because it would bump the county's zoning meeting, which was scheduled to air that day.

Three Las Vegas police officers fatally shot Scott, 38, a West Point graduate, on July 10 outside the Costco. Witnesses have given conflicting accounts about whether Scott ignored police commands and pulled a gun.

A seven-person jury will decide whether the shooting was justified, excusable or criminal.

"I do not have a side in this," Sisolak said. "I just want people to see it if they want to tune in."

The inquest could last up to three days, which means it could supplant Channel 4's normal programming on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of that week, said Skip Kelley, the station's manager.

Sisolak said he got the idea to televise the hearings while talking to Sheriff Doug Gillespie, who recalled how coroner's inquests used to be shown on television.

Gillespie and District Attorney David Roger both support televising the inquest, Sisolak said. Other local TV stations plan to air the hearings on channels 123 and 128, he added.

County staff sent e-mails to commissioners, informing them that the proposal would be discussed at the next meeting, Sisolak said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@review
journal.com or 702-455-4519.