Officer Kenneth Lopera is facing charges after Tashii Brown’s in-custody death was ruled a homicide. Lopera was told to let go of Brown by another officer, and continued the chokehold for over 40 seconds after. Elaine Wilson/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Three years ago Officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo were there on break eating their lunch, when Jerad and Amanda Miller walked into the restaurant and opened fire.
1. Alexis Plunkett’s lawyer Robert Langford withdrew his representation on Monday, leaving Plunkett in what she calls a “real monetary bind.” The criminal defense attorney who is facing felony charges after providing a cellphone to inmates told a judge Monday that she paid her lawyer more for a week’s worth of work than she paid herself all last month. Plunkett’s hearing is set for next month.
2. Former mixed martial arts fighter War Machine was sentenced to 36 years to life in prison after being convicted of more than two dozen charges in March. Also known as Jonathan Koppenhaver, War Machine was convicted of 29 counts, including sexual assault and first-degree kidnapping in connection with an attack on his ex-girlfriend Christine Mackinday back in August 2014.
3. The Las Vegas police officer who held Tashii Brown in an unauthorized chokehold for more than a minute before his death last month is now facing criminal charges. At an afternoon news briefing on Monday, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said officer Kenneth Lopera is facing felony charges of involuntary manslaughter and oppression under the color of office. Lopera’s arrest marks the first time in nearly three decades a Metro officer has faced charges in connection with a police shooting or in-custody death.
The ACLU and civil rights advocates sound off about the choke hold and Taser use by a Las Vegas police officer on Tashii Brown.
1. A Las Vegas police officer used a Taser on a man 7 times before using a chokehold for more than a minute Sunday before his death. According to police, officer Kenneth Lopera believed Tashi Brown was attempting to carjack someone outside of The Venetian when Lopera used a Taser on Brown 7 times, struck him and administered a chokehold before Brown became unresponsive. The driver of the truck says he didn’t feel he was being carjacked and Brown would not have faced any charges had he survived. Officer Lopera is currently on paid leave while Brown’s death is investigated.
2. Henderson police chief Patrick Moers faces an internal investigation after he sent out mailers to local businesses promoting Friends of Henderson Police Department Foundation, which Moers said was the department’s only authorized fundraising group. Henderson Mayor Debra March said she was concerned by the mailer and a spokesman with the police department says the city is reviewing its policies in regards to charitable activities.
3. UFC president Dana White and Conor McGregor have agreed on a deal to fight boxer Floyd Mayweather. White said late Wednesday that UFC and McGregor came to terms on a deal and now they must work on a deal with Mayweather’s team. Terms have yet to be released.
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1. A former Las Vegas nightclub promoter was acquitted Thursday of kidnapping and sexual assault charges. A 25-year-old woman testified that Frederick Richards took her to his home in Rhodes Ranch after meeting at Hyde nightclub, and that she awoke the next morning with her underwear across the room. Jurors said they felt the state couldn’t prove the woman’s testimony and that it wasn’t an easy decision to acquit Richards.
2. A man was shot and killed at a northwest Las Vegas apartment complex. Police were dispatched to Bloom Apartment Homes on Gowan Road near Tenaya Way at about 6 p.m. Thursday, where they found a man dead inside a car. Police are still investigating.
3. The Raiders are set to name a general contractor for a new Las Vegas stadium. Raiders president Marc Badain said Thursday that a contract has yet to be finalized, but that they’re working with a Minneapolis-based firm Mortensen Construction that is partners with McCarthy Building Companies in Henderson. A timeline released by the Stadium Authority estimates stadium groundbreaking by late December or early January.
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1. The cyclist that was struck and killed Tuesday near Red Rock Resort was Las Vegas reconstructive hand surgeon Kayvan Khiabani. Khaibani was the head of hand and microsurgery at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and chief of hand surgery at University Medical Center. His wife, Katy Barin, said her husband was a caring and confident father of two. Memorial services for Khiabani are being planned.
2.A rodent that is native to Argentina was found wandering in a parking lot Thursday. The Patagonian mara was picked up at around 3 pm near West Sahara Avenue and South Decatur Boulevard. The animal was taken to a county animal shelter and the owner is still unknown.
3. A man with multiple gunshot wounds was found meandering in a desert area in the southwest Las Vegas Valley Thursday night. Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Carlos Hank said that there is no information yet as to what happened to the man. Lt. Hank added that the man is in critical condition and is undergoing surgery.
1. Prominent sports bettor David Oancea, known to most as “Vegas Dave” was arraigned in federal court and pleaded not guilty to using other people’s Social Security numbers to open player accounts at area casinos. Oancea was arrested by Metro officers for an outstanding domestic battery warrant after his arraignment. His federal trial is set for June 20th.
2. A criminal complaint against a Las Vegas fire captain states that Richard Loughry paid a 15-year-old girl $300 to have sex with him in a fire station. An online ad said the girl was 22 years old and Loughry exchanged text messages with the girl before she met him at the station. Loughry made his first court appearance this morning.
3. Two Bullhead City officers rescued a pair of brothers early this morning from the Colorado River. The two brothers in their mid-20s were kayaking late at night when the kayaks capsized. The officers removed their gear and jumped in to help the brothers and the Bullhead City Police Department called the men “heroes.”
A bull escaped from its corral in the north Las Vegas valley today, according to Las Vegas police. (Courtesy Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
Police say Antwine Hunter stole a cell phone and scanner from a Las Vegas UPS driver and ran from the scene. Hunter hasn’t walked without crutches and braces since 1999, when he was shot five times outside his Compton, California middle school in a drive-by shooting that left a fellow sixth-grader dead.
Two separate homicides happened less than a half-mile from each other and less than two hours apart in the east valley Monday evening, and the proximity and nature of the incidents prompted Sheriff Joe Lombardo to address the continuing increase in valley violence.
Sheriff Lombardo addresses the press regarding the surge in homicides and violent crimes in the Las Vegas valley.
Homicide Lt. Dan McGrath addresses the fatal shooting at Lee’s Discount Liquor late Monday.
Neighbor’s video of incident with man who police say shot and killed two people and a police dog Thursday.
A wild police chase involving a stolen U-Haul truck, with shots fired, through downtown Las Vegas ended at Craig Road and Clayton Street with two suspects being taken into custody and a police officer in the process.
Undersheriff Kevin McMahill briefs the media on New Year’s Eve OIS involving a suspect with cellphone that police thought was a gun.
Body cam footage from officer-involved shooting on Nov. 24, 2015. (Courtesy LVMPD)
Fire units and Metro were called to a home near the intersection of Lamb Boulevard and Sherrill Avenue, at 12:22 p.m. on Monday. The house was fully engulfed in flames and firefighters found one person dead inside the home and two people were on the front lawn with severe burns.
An unidentified man, who police believe had just robbed a Bank of America, killed himself in his getaway car at the 3600 block of Flamingo Road on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015.
On Thursday a fact finding review was held for the Officer Involved Shooting death of 54-year-old John Allen, who was killed by Boulder City police in March 2015.
LVMPD Undersheriff Kevin McMahill discusses details of October 15, 2015 officer involved shooting of 50-year-old suspect, Linda Lush.
Over two and a half years after the shooting and fiery crash on the Las Vegas strip that left three people dead, accused gunman Ammar Harris faces a trial by jury which could result in the death penalty.
Maryland Parkway was closed in both directions between Richmar and Gary avenues after a man was struck and killed Wednesday morning. The female driver of the car that struck the men was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Captain Richard Fletcher briefs the media on responsible gun ownership and gun safety at the LVMPD headquarters building. From January 1, 2015 to September 5, 2015, there have been 1,694 firearms that have been reported stolen in LVMPD’s jurisdiction.
Sheriff Joseph Lombardo meets with the media to discuss the most recent officer involved shooting that occurred at a residence in the 6700 block of Oveja Street.
Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial of George Tiaffay, a former Las Vegas firefighter accused of hiring a homeless man to kill his wife, Shauna Tiaffay, who was beaten to death with a hammer after returning home from work at the Palms in September 2012.
Erich Nowsch, accused of gunning down 44-year-old mother Tammy Meyers outside her northwest valley home, testified Friday that he was high on marijuana when he confessed to the killing.
Luis Solano, an accused drug trafficker, has a confrontation with four corrections officers at the Clark County jail on Feb. 21, 2013. The officers hold Solano face-down for nearly three minutes. He suffocates, falls unconscious and later dies at a hospital.
Hugo Carbajal Jr., Francis Carbajal, and Edgar Medina, three of the men accused of ramming police cars, who are charged with 47 counts including burglary, grand larceny and assault with a deadly weapon, appeared in court before Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa on Monday.
Assistant Sheriff Todd Fasulo meets with the media to discuss the July 25, 2015 officer involved shooting that occurred at 3040 East Charleston Boulevard.