Woman killed by Henderson police identified
A woman who was shot and killed by Henderson police when she drove a car toward them Monday night was identified Wednesday as 39-year-old Kelly DuPriest by the Clark County coroner's office.
The coroner's office did not know where DuPriest was from.
The office said she died of multiple gunshot wounds. Her death was ruled a homicide and will be the subject of a coroner's inquest, which has not yet been scheduled.
Police said six officers fired their weapons at DuPriest after she put the car in reverse and began driving directly at them.
The officers who fired their weapons have not been identified by the department. It was not clear how many shots were fired.
Police said 21-year-old Carlos Enrique Pedraza, who was inside the car when DuPriest was shot, was arrested in connection with the incident.
Pedraza was booked into the Henderson jail on felony charges that included robbery with a deadly weapon, burglary and murder. The murder charge stems from a state law that makes a suspect responsible for a death if his or her partner dies in the commission of a crime.
Pedraza was wounded in the shooting. Police did not say what his condition was.
Police in Show Low, Ariz., said Pedraza has a criminal history. Between August 2007 and December 2009, he was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, shoplifting, driving on a suspended license and failing to appear in court on those charges.
On the night of the shooting, officers were called about 8 p.m. to the upscale MacDonald Highlands community in response to reports that two suspects had stolen a car at gunpoint.
As officers pursued, the suspects drove the stolen car to the end of MacDonald Ranch Drive, where they became stuck on a gravel road, police said.
Police negotiated with the suspects for about 45 minutes. DuPriest then put the car in reverse and drove at several officers, they said.
"The officers were placed in a life-threatening situation and were forced to defend themselves," police said.
They said DuPriest and Pedraza had been on a crime spree in Henderson that might have included a home invasion, confrontations with security officers and the abandonment of another stolen vehicle.
Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.
