Man shot at Las Vegas airport entered through broken door, report says

Before a Las Vegas police officer shot Jordan Henry on McCarran International Airport’s tarmac, the 32-year-old was able to wander into a restricted area through a door with a malfunctioning lock, according to his arrest report.

Henry was hospitalized in critical condition following the shooting during the early hours of Nov. 21, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Henry initially cooperated with officers who were attempting to lead him away from a restricted area, but he then became “very violent, very aggressive,” and punched an officer, Clark County Assistant Sheriff Charles Hank said during a press briefing Nov. 23.

According to his arrest report, released Wednesday to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Henry was able to access a “secured area” in Terminal 3 of the airport through a closed door normally “secured with a proxy card access only.”

“The lock had malfunctioned and was able to be opened without force that would have caused damage,” the report said.

Henry then “wandered” through several offices until he was confronted by an airport employee, causing Henry to open a door to a “further restricted area” that triggered an alarm.

During the Nov. 23 briefing, Hank provided a timeline leading up to the shooting. Henry was seen on surveillance footage about 2:29 a.m. Nov. 21 entering Terminal 3 by the Alaska Airlines counter.

At 3:12 a.m., Henry walked behind a ticket counter and breached the door marked “authorized personnel only,” police said.

While Metro officers were investigating the alarms in Terminal 3, the airport’s dispatchers received a report of a suspicious man on the Terminal 1 tarmac, the report said.

One of the officers who found Henry grabbed the man’s arm and attempted to lead him off the tarmac, and another officer said over the radio that “the subject was in custody,” the report said.

“Upon hearing that, Henry pulled his arm away, dropped a bag he was carrying” and “aggressively charged” at an officer, the report said. The two officers used their Tasers, which didn’t work on Henry.

Henry then punched one of the officers in the face. After a brief chase, Henry “charged” at the officers, one of whom used his Taser for a second time, again to no effect, the report said. Henry knocked that officer to the ground, and Sgt. Jason Hansen shot Henry when he ran toward Hansen, the report said.

At least three people working at the airport saw Henry as he was in unauthorized areas and confronted the man, but they were unable to stop him, the report said.

Metro has said Henry came to Las Vegas on Nov. 17 on a flight from Indianapolis. Police said Henry was at the airport for a flight scheduled the day before the confrontation, but he missed the flight.

Police believe Henry was with another person at the airport, but Hank said that is still under investigation. There was no mention of a second person with Henry in the report.

Hansen, who shot Henry twice in the torso, had been employed by Metro since January 2001 and was assigned to the department’s airport bureau. The 43-year-old was placed on routine paid administrative leave while the department investigates the shooting.

Henry was charged with a felony count of battery on a protected person resulting in substantial bodily harm, as well as a gross misdemeanor count of battery on a protected person. A misdemeanor trespassing charge was dropped by prosecutors, court records show.

He is due in court Dec. 10. As of Tuesday, Henry remained at University Medical Center, according to court records. His bail was set at $50,000.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.