Coroner inquest to rule on officer’s killing of suspect

Jen Lawson

Friday, Jan. 30, 2004 | 11:21 a.m.

A Clark County coroner's inquest jury began this morning to decide whether Metro Sgt. Clint Robison's killing of an unarmed 32-year-old man in December was lawful.

Today's inquest is examining the Dec. 16 shooting of Charles Edward Whaley by Robison. Robison along with members from the repeat offender program had Whaley under surveillance for a Sept. 30 murder at an East Charleston Boulevard apartment complex. Whaley was believed to have pointed at gun at Robinson but was later found to be unarmed.

Deputy District Attorneys Dan Bowman and Jim Miller said today they expect to call 13 witnesses in addition to the officer who shot Whaley. The proceedings are expected to last all day.

Several members of Whaley's family were in the courtroom.

Bowman told potential jurors by saying that Whaley not only admitted to a Sept. 30 killing but told several people that he "wouldn't be coming back to prison" for that slaying.

Metro Det. Larry Hanna who investigated the Sept. 30 homicide said witnesses told him a man nicknamed "No Shame" was involved. The tip prompted police to place Whaley, an allegedly admitted gang member who went by that nickname, under surveillance.

In mid-October police had arrested Whaley and found a 9mm pistol on him, according to police records. He was charged with being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm. The arrest allowed police to determine Whaley's identity, police said. Tests on the gun in Whaley's possession confirmed that it had been used in the fatal shootings of two men, police said.

Bowman told jurors that Whaley admitted killing Ralph Manor, 26, and another man. Bowman also said that an inmate from Indian Springs told authorities Manor said he wouldn't be coming back to prison.

The detectives said they got a tip that Whaley was armed with a gun and was planning to leave town, so about 12:30 p.m. Dec. 16 in the 3100 block of East Washington Avenue, near Mojave Road, they stopped the four-door sedan in which Whaley was riding.

Police said they wanted to tell him he was the subject of a grand jury investigation in the September killing of Manor. When a person is the subject of a grand jury investigation, law enforcement is required by law to tell the person about it, Metro Capt. Tom Lozich said. But when the car stopped, Whaley jumped out and ran into a nearby neighborhood, police said.

Uniformed and plainclothed officers chased him. Robison, a 19-year veteran of Metro, caught up with Whaley a few blocks away in the 3100 block of Brady.

Robison reported that Whaley crouched down and pointed what appeared to be a gun at him, but investigators later determined Whaley was not armed. Robison fired at Whaley, who died in a resident's yard.

Robison, 44, has been involved in two nonfatal shootings in 2000 and 2001. He was found to be justified in those shootings.

This slaying was the 16th officer-involved shooting in Metro's jurisdiction in 2003.

So far this year, there have been three Metro officer-involved shootings, one of which was fatal.

Officers Patrick Walters and Kenny Delzer fired shots at Keenon Babcock on Jan. 10 outside Paris Las Vegas on the Strip. Babcock allegedly carjacked a driver, then led cops on a chase to the Strip where he jumped from his car and began to ran toward Paris.

During the chase, Babcock allegedly turned and pointed a gun at the officers. The officers shot him in the face.

On Jan. 21, Officer John Evans shot and killed Keith Maurice Williams, a home invasion suspect. While running from police in the 1200 block of Silver Prospect, Williams allegedly pointed a gun at Evans and Evans shot him, police said.

This morning, a Metro officer shot a man who was in critical condition early today.