District attorney clears Las Vegas officers in fatal shootings

Prosecutors on Monday cleared police officers of possible criminal charges in three fatal shootings.

District Attorney Steve Wolfson determined Las Vegas police officers acted lawfully in the deaths of Marc Hull, 25, Bernard Pate, 37, and Jason Baires, 23. In each case, the men either shot a police officer or pointed a gun at an officer.

The three decisions were the latest to be released by Wolfson, who began issuing public reviews of police shootings in April because the traditional forum for airing the facts of such fatal encounters – the coroner’s inquest – has been stalled for more than 20 months by legal challenges.

Although the shooting reviews typically have been released in sequential order, the controversial shooting death of Stanley Gibson on Dec. 12 was skipped.

Wolfson’s office would not comment Monday on the status of Gibson’s shooting review.

In Pate’s Nov. 21 shooting, Las Vegas police gang detectives approached him in the Karen Pines apartment complex after seeing him act “suspiciously” in a courtyard near Sahara Avenue and Lamb Boulevard.

Pate was shot in the back by Detective Casey Clarkson, who fired his weapon nine times after Pate pointed a gun at him, he said. A gun was found near Pate’s body, but Pate did not fire.

It was unclear why officers approached Pate.

Hull and Baires both shot and injured officers before they were killed. Hull was killed Sept. 9 after trying to use a fraudulent bank card to buy electronics from a Walmart on Rainbow Boulevard, near Spring Mountain Road.

Officer Michael Ramirez was shot several times and was saved only by a bulletproof vest, police said. He has recovered from his injuries.

Baires, a murder suspect in the death of his mother’s boyfriend, was killed Feb. 1 after a shootout with Las Vegas and Henderson officers.

Police said Baires ran from his vehicle and through an alley near Michael Way and Washington Avenue. As he ran south on Michael Way, a detective hit him with his vehicle and knocked him to the ground. Police said Baires then fired several shots from a handgun, striking officer Greg Theobald in the hip. Theobald was not badly injured.

Baires died at the scene after being shot by officers’ return fire.

Reporter Francis McCabe contributed to this report. Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.