Inquest probes Metro shooting

Jen Lawson

Friday, Nov. 5, 2004 | 11:17 a.m.

When Linda Contreras called Metro Police the morning of Oct. 12 because her husband had hit their son with a hammer, police found Arcangelito Contreras in the garage with his gun -- a scenario that led to police killing the 45-year-old who suffered from kidney failure.

But his wife testified before a Clark County coroner's inquest jury this morning that it wasn't unusual for Contreras to be in the garage with a loaded gun. He had begun sleeping in his garage with a gun because the garage remote had been stolen.

Police found him sitting on a motorized scooter that he used to get around when he was too weak to walk.

"He was very depressed, very sick. He had kidney problems, depression, frustration. There were a lot of things," Linda Contreras said through tears while testifying this morning.

The inquest jury was expected to determine today whether two Metro officers' actions were justified, excusable or criminal in the shooting of Contreras.

Gary Torsky and Joey Hernandez shot Contreras in the garage of his home in the 6600 block of Crown Rock Court near Robindale Road and Rainbow Boulevard.

Hours before he died, Contreras had fired a gun into the air and allegedly hit his 14-year-old son with a hammer, police said.

Contreras' wife called 911 after the hammer incident and ran to a neighbor's house. When Torsky and Hernandez arrived, they found Contreras seated on his scooter in the garage.

The officers told investigators Contreras loaded his .44-caliber revolver in front of them despite their orders that he drop the weapon, police said. When he started to level the gun at them, they opened fire, police said.