Relatives of man killed by Las Vegas police call for officer’s arrest
The family of Brandon Durham, who was killed by police after calling 911 to report a break-in, is pushing for the arrest of the officer who shot him.
Durham, 43, was fatally shot Nov. 12 by Metropolitan Police Department officer Alexander Bookman, 26. Durham had called police to report that someone was breaking into his home on the 6900 block of Wine River Drive, where he lived with his 15-year-old daughter.
Metro has released some body camera footage from the event that shows Bookman entering the house to the sounds of loud screaming. Bookman found Durham, who was in his underwear, struggling with Alejandra Boudreaux over a knife.
Bookman yelled “drop the knife” and opened fire seconds later. When Durham dropped to the ground, Bookman stepped forward and continued shooting, the video showed. Bookman fired his gun six times, police have said.
In an interview with police after Durham’s death, Boudreaux told officers that she had gone to Durham’s house to die.
“I wanted the cops to shoot me dead,” she told officers. And, she said she wanted Durham to live with “the wreckage” she caused in his house.
In Boudreaux’s arrest report, released Monday, Metro said she attempted to “commit suicide by law enforcement.” When Durham was shot instead, Boudreaux told police that Bookman had “shot the wrong person.”
Shooting investigation is ongoing
“There was no justification to use deadly force against Mr. Durham, because he was in his underwear protecting himself at best,” said civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who is representing Durham’s family. “So the officer was not being threatened. Mr. Durham was not threatening anyone. There’s no justification for the use of force against Mr. Durham.”
Merritt, who has represented families in several high-profile cases across the country involving police brutality, held a news conference Monday with Durham’s family, during which he called for Bookman to be arrested and fired from his job. He told reporters that Durham’s family has met with Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson about the investigation into Bookman’s actions.
“We believe an arrest warrant for officer Bookman should be issued immediately,” Merritt said. “We believe that a grand jury should return an indictment for homicide against this officer according to the legal standards.”
Wolfson released a statement on Monday asking for the public’s patience while police investigate the shooting.
“It is important to understand this investigation is in its infancy,” Wolfson said in the statement. “It will take weeks, if not months, for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to complete its investigation; therefore, it would be inappropriate for me to express an opinion regarding whether criminal charges are going to be filed. I simply do not have all the information yet.”
Boudreaux, who is accused of breaking into the home, has been charged with home invasion while in possession of a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon constituting domestic violence; child abuse, neglect or endangerment; and willful or wanton disregard of a person’s safety resulting in substantial bodily harm or death, court records show.
The defendant was scheduled to appear in court Monday, but she refused to be transported to the courtroom. The judge appointed a public defender to represent her and scheduled another hearing for next week.
Metro Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said during a news conference Thursday that police believe Durham and Boudreaux had a domestic relationship. Durham’s relatives have said they do not know why Boudreaux was at the home.
Merritt told reporters on Monday that police had recently received another call about a person who refused to leave Durham’s home. He said he believes that report was also about Boudreaux.
“The criminal case is unfolding, and the facts will come in as they come in,” Merritt said.
Metro did not respond to a request for comment on Monday about other calls to Durham’s home.
‘Suicide by law enforcement’
In Boudreaux’s arrest report, two Metro officers said the initial broadcast they received while en route to Durham’s house described the suspect as wearing a red hoodie.
Footage from Bookman’s body camera shows that while Boudreaux and Durham were standing in the doorway struggling over the knife, Boudreaux was wearing a red hoodie with the hood pulled up.
After Bookman shot Durham and Durham and Boudreaux fell to the floor, another officer on the scene told police he recalled the description of the suspect with the red hoodie and placed Boudreaux in handcuffs.
In an interview with Boudreaux on Nov. 12, she told officers that she and Durham had worked in the real estate industry together and had a casual sexual relationship, but that she had become frustrated with Durham’s multiple sexual partners. During the early hours of Nov. 11, Boudreaux was at Durham’s home while he was at a hotel with another woman, according to Boudreaux’s arrest report. Durham called the police, and Boudreaux agreed to leave his house.
She then took an Uber to the airport, where she planned to catch a flight, but when she got to the gate, she was told that her ticket had been canceled as someone had called in to say it had been purchased with a stolen credit card. Boudreaux said she then took an Uber back to Durham’s house and, on the way, “decided that she was going to die,” she told police.
When she arrived at his home, she took a knife from the kitchen and went to Durham’s bedroom, breaking open the door and acting like she was going to stab him.
“I made him believe, very much so, that I was going to,” she told police.
Boudreaux told police that she wanted them to shoot her instead and that she felt responsible for what had occurred.
Police said Boudreaux admitted to “intentionally retrieving the knives to commit suicide by law enforcement in front of Durham after threatening him.” They argued that this attempt, which resulted in Durham’s death, meant there was probable cause for Boudreaux to be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Involuntary manslaughter is not listed as one of the charges Boudreaux is facing, court records show.
‘Justice for Brandon’
Nearly two dozen of Durham’s family members and supporters attended the court hearing on Monday, many wearing shirts showing Durham’s picture and the phrases “Justice for Brandon” and “#HELPME.”
Merritt said Durham was yelling for help as police entered his home, and that Durham was “clearly the victim.” He also criticized the information police initially released about the shooting. Two days after Durham was killed, Metro held a news conference in which the department released some body camera footage showing the shooting.
During the news conference, Koren pointed to a section of the video after the first shot was fired and Durham fell to the ground, in which the knife appeared to be in Durham’s hand. Koren told reporters that “both individuals are on the floor, and one person is still holding the knife.”
“Only snippets were released, and those snippets, again, seem designed intentionally to obscure the information about the caller, Brandon Durham, being the victim,” Merritt said on Monday, adding that the footage also appeared “designed to help absolve officer Bookman.”
Durham’s relatives have been speaking out against the shooting, asking for more answers from Las Vegas police. Durham’s daughter, 15-year-old Isabella Durham, said last week that she was “disgusted” by the shooting. Justice of the Peace Amy Wilson ordered Boudreaux to be transported to court “by any means necessary” for another hearing on Nov. 25.
If you are thinking about suicide, or are worried about a loved one or friend, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Lifeline network at 988. Live chat is available at 988lifeline.org.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com.