Officials Air Findings in Nevada Shooting That Left 4 Dead

RENO, Nev. (775 Times, NV Globe) – Authorities released the findings of their investigation into a 2020 election day police shooting that killed a guy inside a car after an upstairs neighbor shot and murdered two ladies, critically injured a teenage girl, and kidnapped a 12-year-old boy before he was shot and killed as police closed in.

Jason Neo Bourne, a 38-year-old who changed his name in 2014 because he admired a character in a movie, was shot by Henderson police, and it was suggested during the hearing that Bourne shot the boy multiple times, including in the head, after police opened fire on the boy’s family’s Cadillac Escalade.

According to the evidence produced by Henderson police Detective Richard Christopher, the sole investigator questioned at the hearing known as a public fact-finding review, Bourne fired seven bullets with a.40 caliber pistol while seated in the driver’s seat.

The trial, which was presided over by an attorney who was formerly a member of the state Assembly and was presented by a county prosecutor, did not definitively determine whether one or more of the 27 shots fired by police struck the boy who was seated in the passenger seat next to Bourne. Bourne was still speaking with the 911 dispatcher when gunfire broke out, and he was overheard saying “Yeah” as they started a second round of fire.

However, after describing the findings of the autopsies of the four victims who passed away that day, Christopher stated, “We believe Jason Bourne was responsible for the boy’s wounds.”

Mother of the kid, Dianne Hawatmeh, 38, family housekeeper, Veronica Muniz, 33, of Las Vegas, and the boy, Joseph Hawatmeh, were all killed. The 16-year-old boy’s sister was shot many times and is still paralyzed, according to Roger Croteau, the family’s attorney.

“We’re not making a statement one way or another who shot Joseph,” Croteau said following the emotional four-hour proceeding at the Clark County Commission auditorium.

Iehab Hawatmeh, the boy’s father, filed a federal complaint in October in Las Vegas against Henderson police, departmental managers, and the seven officers who fired rounds on that particular day. Croteau is now managing the case.

“We do know that (police) took the first shot,” the attorney said. “One second later, the car was lit up with … contagion firing. They rushed the vehicle and didn’t wait for SWAT or a negotiator to arrive.”

Police deployed 9mm pistols and.223-caliber tactical rifles while Bourne had a.40-caliber handgun. According to the inquiry, medical examiners did not find any recognizable bullets in the boy’s body.

When a police-related fatality occurs, Clark County law substitutes a non-judicial public review for a coroner’s inquest if the district attorney determines that there will be no criminal charges brought against the officers involved. The police don’t participate in it themselves.

Officials believe that Bourne’s rage over a noise complaint that his downstairs neighbors made days before the shooting may have contributed to the 30 minutes of chaos that were described in heartbreaking and dramatic detail in police body-worn camera video and 911 audio that were broadcast on Monday.

Additionally, it highlighted the apparent hallucinations and ramblings of a man who dialed 911 for police from an Escalade, repeatedly changed the pitch of his voice, claimed to be a character from the future, “not from this planet,” and the supervillain Bane from the “Batman” film, and demanded that they send him a helicopter immediately.

As Bourne repeatedly interrupted what appeared to be train-of-thought remarks to the 911 operator with the words “XM Satellite Radio 1.1 Gigawatts,” Joseph Hawatmeh could be heard in the background.

Before officially changing his identity from Christopher Curry in 2014, Bourne had no criminal record and lawfully bought his pistol, according to Christopher, the police detective.

In the US, Bourne served for about 15 years. Prior to receiving an honorable discharge in 2017, Christopher served in the Air Force in a number of nations. He was a handicapped veteran whose former Air Force roommate told investigators he was working on a novel, frequently smoked marijuana, and occasionally covered the windows in the flat out of concern that someone could look in.

The police investigator claimed that Bourne “seriously believed in QAnon beliefs,” including “that celebrities wear realistic masks but are actually politicians who were part of a secret pedophile conspiracy that controlled the world,” and that his computer records supported these claims.

Christopher discovered allusions to Bourne referring to himself as a superhero rescuing the world in several of Bourne’s handwritten notes.

Iehab Hawatmeh wiped his eyes numerous times throughout the four-hour session that he and three other family members attended with Croteau.

Later, Croteau said that the information made available to the public did not surprise them. He declared that, in federal court, the family had a compelling wrongful death, negligence, and civil rights case against the police.

Henderson’s legal team has submitted paperwork asking for the lawsuit—which is seeking vague undefined monetary damages—to be dismissed. There are no scheduled court dates.

“As difficult as the situation was, my client believes the death of his boy wasn’t necessary,” Croteau said. “His family has suffered badly.”

Credits: KOLO TV