Coroner’s inquest set in Metro shooting

Keith Paul

Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

A Clark County coroner's inquest has been scheduled for next month to determine if a Metro Police officer's shooting of a schizophrenic man wielding a knife last week was justified or criminal.

An inquest jury of seven people will hear testimony from the officers and others at the scene before deciding how to rule on the shooting. The inquest is set for Feb. 16, said Ron Flud, Clark County coroner.

Officer Alfred Woodruff, 33, shot 27-year-old David Herrera several times Wednesday after officers tried unsuccessfully to get Herrera to drop the knife, police said.

Woodruff, Sgt. Juanita Goode and officers Won Cho, Sean Malia and Eric Heindel responded to Herrera's parent's house in the 4900 block of Terra Circle, near Tropicana Avenue and Nellis Boulevard, about 12:10 p.m. Herrera's mother called police after Herrera apparently threatened two state mental health workers, who she had asked to come to the house to help her son, police said.

The family has said there was no reason to shoot Herrera and he was not threatening the officers. The family could not be reached for further comment this morning.

Police said the officers did all they could before shooting Herrera about 12:40 p.m.

The officers talked with Herrera, urging him to drop the knife. Woodruff then fired four non-lethal rounds -- commonly called beanbags -- from a shotgun. The beanbags hit Herrera, but appeared to have little effect on him.

Goode then sprayed Herrera with a large amount of pepper spray as Herrera came closer to the officers. The spray appeared to have little effect on him, police said.

"I think their actions showed they tried everything in their power and left deadly force as a last resort," said Deputy Chief Ray Flynn, commander of the investigative services division. "They tried to talk the man (into dropping the knife) and their final option, unfortunately, was deadly force.

Police said Herrera was within 5 feet of the officers and threatening them with the knife when Woodruff fired.

Coroner's inquests are normally held when an officer kills someone in the line of duty.