Union lawsuit seeks reinstatement of police officer who shot man
The Las Vegas Police Protective Association filed a lawsuit this month on behalf of an officer who was fired for shooting a man in the head.
According to the lawsuit, officer Vidal Contreras was interviewed by the Critical Incident Review Team in June related to the shooting of a suicidal man on March 1, 2021. The team voted 4-3 for administrative disapproval of his actions, which resulted in his firing.
The union cited a Nevada law that officers under investigation will receive at least 48 hours notice before facing the Use of Force Board, and a collective bargaining agreement that stated officers will be told what was considered misconduct before the hearing. The union claimed the Metropolitan Police Department violated both of these policies.
Metro declined to comment on the pending lawsuit, which was served on the department May 20.
The police union is seeking reinstatement for Contreras, in addition to unspecified damages.
Police said at a March 2021 briefing that Seth Greenstone was bleeding from his neck and hands when he approached Contreras with a box cutter. Contreras shot twice, striking Greenstone.
Greenstone was in critical condition, police said at the time. Civil court filings from his mother, who has taken over as his guardian, indicate that Greenstone was shot in the head and can no longer speak or comprehend what is said to him.
Three months after the shooting, the Use of Force Board said Contreras should have created more distance; used cover, like his patrol vehicle; and targeted “center body mass” when using force on Greenstone.
In a union newsletter published this month, officer Greg Stinnett wrote that Contreras was a Marine who served in Iraq and Kuwait before being hired by Metro in 2017. He was assigned to the northeast area command, where he was raised, at the time of the shooting.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.
