Comments (16) | Add a comment
Inquest set in police shooting of Trevon Cole
Tools
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Jul. 1, 2010 | 7:11 a.m.
A coroner's inquest into the death of 21-year-old Trevon Cole has been scheduled for Aug. 20, the Clark County Coroner's office announced Wednesday.
The inquest process, often criticized by local civil rights advocates, including the ACLU, could be tested again when a jury hears the testimony about Cole's death on the night of June 11.
Cole was unarmed and in his bathroom when he was shot by a Las Vegas police officer who was serving a search warrant at his apartment on East Bonanza Road.
Officer Bryan Yant shot Cole once in the head with an AR-15 rifle. A medical examiner ruled Wednesday that the gunshot killed him.
Cole's fianceé, who was in the apartment, said Cole had his hands up when he was shot.
Police said in a statement that Cole made a "furtive movement" toward the officer.
Police, who were looking for marijuana after they said they bought the substance from Cole three times, said Nellis Air Force base investigators also were at the scene when the warrant was served.
"They were not part of the entry team or enforcement action, but wanted to interview the subject afterwards as part of an investigation into narcotics activity on local military property," police said in a statement.
It was Yant's third shooting, and second fatal shooting, in his 10 years with the department. An inquest jury into Yant's 2002 fatal shooting found the officer justified in his actions despite a serious discrepancy between his story and evidence at the scene.
The inquest process has been heavily criticized for being weighted in favor of the police department. Only once in the 34-year history of the process has a jury not ruled the officers' actions justified or excusable.
Attorney Andre Lagomarsino will represent the family at the inquest.
"We're looking forward to a full and thorough examination of the facts that led to Trevon Cole being killed in his bathroom," he said Wednesday. "We're going into this process with an open mind, and we hope that all the questions that the family submits in advance of the inquest will be asked and answered."
Trending topics:
Comments
Terms & Conditions
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The Review-Journal does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please use the Report Abuse button.
Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 24 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
The following quotes from the LVRJ would indicate that Yant perjured himself when he got the warrant, that ended up with, IMHO, Yant murdering Cole? This could easly be considered evidence of premeditation. How does one explain away Yant's testimony to the judge that Cole had a "lengthy criminal history" when in fact Cole had no criminal history at all? Why in the world was Yant even part of the SWAT team that served the warrent? Why was Yant the point man? "In the affidavit, Yant wrote that police considered it likely that the raid would turn up more drugs, scales, bags and elaborate records such as "owe" sheets related to narcotic sales. Yant also wrote that Cole had a "lengthy criminal history" for drug trafficking in both Houston and Los Angeles, and would have firearms to protect his drugs and money. A night raid would be preferable, Yant wrote, to ensure the safety of children and other residents in the complex. Andre Lagomarsino, the attorney representing Cole's fiancee and family, said there were several errors in the affidavit -- that Cole had no criminal history and was actually out of state on May 19, when police claimed to have bought marijuana from him."
Someone is going to do a number on Las Vegas Police. wait and see.
Lucky for this cop. This unarmed man was not my family member. Metro are out of Order, and a bigger threat to the public than what you want to believe. I am not a cop hater, and of course we need police, but I do not have once ounce of respect for Metro. Make no mistake about it, give metro the slightest reason to kill you and they will.
You mean scum like Milan Petkovich?
Just be glad we have officers that have the guts to deal with the scum of the earth that we have here in vegas.
Please quit wasting taxpayer money on stupid dog and pony shows. The hope of metro and it's accessories to murder is that " new " residents will think the police are interested in protecting the public. For the Shooter in this one it was his third victim, shouldn't he get a medal or something to go with his EXTRA PAID VACATION?
What is interesting is the facts of this case could support an argument that the officer’s actions are that of a small group of officers participating in a violent blood sport that is done under the cover and color of being an LEO. Let's think about this . . . how many people have been shot needlessly because of what . . . an alleged furtive move? And how many times have we heard witnesses say that it simple didn’t happen that way. Ladies and Gentlemen, we could be talking first degree murder, which is being done by a few LEO’s that are involved in a violent blood sport . . . that is condoned and swept under the rug by other honest LEO’s. After all, is it not true that the officer is provided training as to what needs to be said during a inquest, and during a court hearing in order to justify the police use of force? Is it not possible that that knowledge is being used by some to cover the deliberate violent acts of an officer . . . that simply cannot control their urge to act out their aggressive role of putting someone down? It’s a scary thought, to be certain, but let’s face it; the shoe does look like it fits.
"Police said in a statement that Cole made a "furtive movement" toward the officer."
Furtive 1 a : done by stealth : surreptitious b : expressive of stealth : sly
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Doesn't sound very threatening to me. Sounds like a bad cop
How was is surreptitious Daddy? That necessarily implies no one saw it. Small room two people not a lot of sneaky things can happen. Wake up and realize this cop is a menace.
Maybe Cole suddenly farted and that's what spooked the already trigger-happy Officer Yant. If so, how embarrassing for both the victim and the officer.