Daughter of man fatally shot by police sues North Las Vegas

The city of North Las Vegas is facing a wrongful death lawsuit after a police officer fatally shot a North Las Vegas resident in June.

Ashley Rice is suing the city, the North Las Vegas Police Department and Officer Robert Jameson for the death of her father, Robert Wenman, according to a lawsuit filed in United States District Court on Thursday.

Wenman, 63, was a North Las Vegas resident and was shot at Craig Ranch Regional Park on June 22. He was allegedly experiencing a “personal crisis,” according to the lawsuit.

“Allegedly, he had a gun, he was distressed and suicidal but had been speaking with (city of North Las Vegas police) and a crisis negotiator(s) for several hours,” according to the lawsuit. “His daughter, Ashley Rice was present at the management office of the park. Wenman was shot dead by (North Las Vegas police) officer Robert Jameson shortly after a crisis negotiator(s) left the scene for reasons unknown to Rice at this time.”

Police were called to the park after a report of a man with a gunshot wound. When officers arrived a man pulled out a gun and threatened to kill himself, according to a statement previously issued by the department.

Wenmen’s death was ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner’s office.

Police tried to calm the man for nearly four hours before he approached officers with his gun raised and was shot, according to North Las Vegas police spokesman Alex Cuevas in the statement.

“Officer Jameson decided to get out of his vehicle — a safe secure location — and fire,” Rice’s attorney Peter Goldstein said. “We have a lot of questions on why they had to use deadly force.”

Officers had on a lot of protective equipment, Goldstein added. “The whole situation does not make any logical sense given the amount of equipment and officers there,” he said.

Jameson has been working at North Las Vegas as a police officer since 2015, according to the Transparent Nevada website. Rice is suing for battery, negligence, wrongful death, denial of medical care, denial of substantive due process, unreasonable search and seizure, failure to train and two other counts of municipal liability.

The North Las Vegas Police Department declined to comment. Jameson is still employed with the agency, according to an email from Cuevas.

Contact Alex Chhith at achhith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0290. Follow @alexchhith on Twitter.