Coroner’s inquest set in fatal police shooting at Summerlin Costco

By Jackie Valley

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 | 12:44 p.m.

A coroner's inquest in the fatal Metro Police shooting of a man at a Summerlin Costco store has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 3, the Clark County Coroner's Office said today.

Erik Scott, 38, was killed July 10 after authorities say he pointed a gun at an officer, prompting three officers to shoot him.

Authorities said a Costco employee called 911 to report a man acting erratically in the store, damaging merchandise and carrying a pistol in his waistband. An officer approached the man, identified as Scott, then noticed the pistol and gave him verbal commands to lay on the ground, police said.

After Scott pointed the pistol at an officer, the officers fired at him, striking him multiple times, police said. He died at University Medical Center a short time later.

The officers who fired their weapons were placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.

A lawyer representing Scott's family has denied Metro's version of events, arguing that Scott, a West Point graduate with a concealed weapon permit, never pulled out a handgun and pointed it at police.

Police identified the three officers involved in the shooting as Officer William Mosher, 38, who has been with the department since June 2005; Officer Joshua Stark, 28, with the department since September 2008; and Officer Thomas Mendiola, 23, with the department since March 2009.

A courtroom for the Sept. 3 inquest hasn't been decided, according to the coroner's office. Only one officer has been found to have acted improperly since 1976.