Use-of-force board clears Metro officer in fatal shooting

Keith Paul

Friday, Feb. 8, 2002 | 10:12 a.m.

A Metro Police oversight board voted Thursday night that an officer did not violate department policy when he shot and killed an armed robber in November.

The use of force board's findings cleared Officer Bryan Yant of any departmental wrongdoing. A Clark County coroner's inquest jury in January voted 6-1 that the fatal shooting was justified.

The oversight board cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing in connection with the Nov. 17 shooting of 30-year-old Richard Travis Brown.

"The board voted unanimously that the shooting was within department guidelines," Deputy Chief Ray Flynn said.

Prior to the shooting, Brown was identified as a suspect in a three-week spree of convenience store robberies. He was a suspect in 41 robberies.

Police started chasing a white van identified as the getaway car in connection with a robbery of a convenience store in the 3700 block of South Valley View Boulevard about 3:30 a.m. Nov. 17.

Yant picked up the chase as the driver of the van spun out trying to turn onto Torrey Pines Drive. Brown jumped out and started running.

Yant testified at the coroner's inquest that he got out of his police car and started chasing Brown down Bristol Way.

"He was running and put his hand in his pocket. I started yelling, 'Let me see your hands. I know you have the gun,' " said Yant, an officer since September 2000.

Yant testified at the January inquest that he fired several shots when Brown pointed his right arm behind him with something black in his hand. Yant believed the object was the gun and said he was afraid that Brown would shoot at him or run into a nearby house and take someone hostage.

Police later found a gun about 30 feet from Brown and have speculated it may have inadvertently been kicked or Brown may have thrown it after he was shot.

Brown's family has maintained he was a good man when not on drugs, but the crack cocaine took over his life and led to him robbing the stores.

Yant, who was on paid administrative leave since the shooting per department policy, returned to work after the coroner's inquest verdict.

Metro's use-of-force board, composed of four residents and three officers, reviews officers' actions when someone is killed or seriously hurt by an officer or whenever an officer shoots at a person.