Panel: 6 officers justified in fatal Henderson shooting

By Erin Dostal

Published Friday, July 23, 2010 | 2:39 p.m.

Updated Friday, July 23, 2010 | 7:14 p.m.

A Clark County coroner’s inquest jury ruled Friday that Henderson police were justified in the fatal shooting of a woman who nearly ran them over with a car in June.

The seven jurors listened to testimony beginning at 9 a.m. at the Regional Justice Center. After deliberating for about 40 minutes, the jurors unanimously decided shortly after 4 p.m. that six officers were justified in fatally shooting 39-year-old Kelly Amber DuPriest.

DuPriest died of multiple gunshot wounds after a June 7 encounter with police in the upscale MacDonald Highlands neighborhood.

Police shot at DuPriest and a male passenger when she sped toward officers in a car, authorities said. Police said the car had been stolen at gunpoint.

DuPriest was shot six times — once in the arm and five times in her chest and abdomen, said Gary Telgenhoff, a forensic pathologist with the Clark County Coroner’s Office.

Telgenhoff conducted DuPriest’s autopsy. He said that at the time of her death, DuPriest was high on methamphetamine.

She had three to five times as much of the drug in her system as he has seen people die from, he said.

The June 7 incident began when DuPriest and her male passenger, Carlos Padreza, 21, were found hiding in the bushes outside a MacDonald Highlands home, authorities said.

After being approached by a security guard and neighbor Blake Youmans, the pair reportedly jumped into Youmans’ 2009 burgundy Mazda four-door.

Youmans said he instinctively jumped into the backseat to avoid being hit by the car as DuPriest began driving away. He had left the keys in the push-button ignition.

Youmans said Padreza then put a gun in his face and ordered him to get out. Youmans said he got out and watched his car speed away.

The gun turned out to be a BB gun, but it looked real, police said. From that point, police treated the pair as armed and dangerous and assumed they had committed armed robbery, a felony, authorities said.

Henderson Police officer Forest Shields was the first to arrive on the scene. He was called while on patrol at Valle Verde Parkway and Stephanie Street, he said.

Shields said he pursued the Madza into the desert near the community, where the car turned into a canyon-like area full of gravel, he said. The car got stuck and he began to try to reason with DuPriest, Shields said.

After about 40 minutes of talking with her using the loud speaker on his police car, Shields said, DuPriest got out of the car, waving her hands and walking quickly toward him.

By then, other officers had arrived and blocked the Mazda into the canyon area, he said.

When Sheilds ordered DuPriest to turn around, face away from the officers and walk toward them, she refused and ran back to the car, he said. She then reportedly turned the radio on at high volume and put the car into reverse.

“I didn’t think it was going to be able to break free” from the gravel, Shields said.

Once the car began speeding toward them, though, six officers shot at DuPriest, officials said. All six officers who were involved in the shooting said they immediately stopped shooting when the car stopped.

When asked what would have happen if the officers hadn’t fired, Shields said “what would’ve happened is my buddies would’ve gotten squished.”

“It was my job to make sure everyone remained safe and stayed focused,” Shields said. “I gave it my all. There’s nothing I would picture that I would do differently.”

Officers said Padreza never exited the vehicle. After the shooting, he rolled out onto the ground next to the car, officers said. Police said Padreza suffered non-life threatening injuries.

The police officers involved in the shooting were Sgt. Christopher Delacanal, hired in 1996; Officer James Dunn, hired in 2003; Officer Kevin Grant, hired in 2006; Officer Michael Schmitz, hired in 2004; Officer Jeff Wiener, hired in 2002; and Officer Juan Castro, hired in 2007.

All six testified at Friday’s inquest. Grant, who was unable to attend, gave his testimony in a recording.

Deputy District Attorneys Chris Owens and Christopher Laurent questioned witnesses, and Judge Stephen George presided over the Friday proceedings.

DuPriest’s parents, Cecelia DuPriest and Randy Krajcar, were present Friday for the entire proceeding.

They did not visibly react when the jury found the shooting justified. Both of DuPriest’s parents live near Phoenix.

“Any time parents lose a child there is heartache,” Cecelia DuPriest said in a written note. “Our hearts ache for everyone affected by this tragic event.”