Cop shoots homeowner in head after he calls about intruder in Nevada, suit says
A man’s loved ones are suing the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department over his death after they say he was shot six times by an officer responding to his call about an intruder in his house.
The lawsuit accuses officer Alexander Bookman of recklessly killing 43-year-old Brandon Durham inside his Las Vegas residence on Nov. 12, while Durham’s 15-year-old daughter was also home.
Durham had been trying to protect himself from the intruder, who was armed with a knife, according to the lawsuit, before police arrived at the home.
Once Bookman was in Durham’s home, Durham repeatedly called out for help, the complaint says. Then, Bookman found him and the intruder in the doorway of Durham’s bedroom, as the “the knife the aforementioned intruder had was pinned stationary up against the hallway wall,” according to the complaint.
Bookman “directly commanded the assailant to ‘drop the knife,’” the complaint says.
However, instead of using force against the intruder, Bookman shot Durham in the head “less than 2 seconds later,” according to the complaint.
Durham fell down, and Bookman shot him five more times as he was on the ground, the complaint says.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren confirmed during a news conference held Nov. 14 that Bookman fired his weapon six times.
The department didn’t immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment April 9.
Durham’s daughter, Isabella Durham, who’s now 16, and his partner, Rachael Gore, filed their lawsuit April 7 in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.
The filing also names Bookman as a defendant.
Bookman knew Durham was the homeowner when he responded to his emergency call, as he had been at Durham’s home a day earlier, according to the lawsuit.
What happened before the shooting?
Less than 24 hours before Durham’s death, Bookman responded to a disturbance involving the same intruder at Durham’s home, the lawsuit says.
On Nov. 11, Durham scanned his thumbprint using biometric technology to let Bookman inside, according to the complaint. Bookman ultimately removed the individual from his home.
The next day, around 12:40 a.m., Durham called the police, Koren said at the news conference.
On the phone, according to the lawsuit, Durham gave authorities a “thorough description” of the intruder, who he said was wearing a red ski mask, as well as red and dark-colored clothing.
The individual retrieved a knife from the residence and charged at Durham, resulting in a struggle before police got there, the complaint says.
“At the time that Defendant Bookman shot Brandon Durham, the knife that had been held by the assailant, was pinned up against the wall,” the filing states.
Bookman was the first to enter the home, followed by two other officers, Koren said at the news conference. He identified the intruder as a 31-year-old woman, who was ultimately arrested on multiple charges, according to Koren.
When the officers saw Durham and the woman, Koren said they “appeared to be struggling over a knife in the doorway.”
“Bookman issued multiple commands to drop the knife and then (he) discharged his firearm… striking Durham and causing him and (the woman) to fall to the ground,” Koren said.
What comes next?
Bookman has been on paid administrative leave as a result of the shooting, according to KSNV.
He’s worked for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department since 2021, Koren said.
In an interview with McClatchy News on April 9, attorney Cannon Lambert, one of the lawyers representing Durham’s family, emphasized that it’s important for the public to understand that this case is about “having the ability to call the police when you need them,” including at home.
“We should all be able to call the police and feel safe,” Lambert said.
“We’ll find out whether or not we have a right to have that feeling based on what happens” Lambert said, referring to the case’s potential legal outcomes.
There’s a possibility that the Clark County District Attorney’s Office will bring criminal charges against Bookman, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
David Roger, the general counsel with the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, is representing Bookman in connection with potential charges.
In an emailed statement to McClatchy News on April 9, Roger accused Durham of holding the knife when Bookman used deadly force on Nov. 12.
“While Mr. Durham’s death is tragic, Officer Bookman was doing his job to eliminate the threat when Mr. Durham did not drop the knife,” Roger said. ”Officer Bookman’s conduct was not criminal.”
In January, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill told KLAS-TV that, though he watched the footage of the incident “dozens of times,” it wasn’t clear to him “who was actually holding that knife.”
In regards to the sheriff’s comments, Lambert told McClatchy News that “If you watched (the video) several times, this is a time to be honest.”
“It’s clear that (the woman) had the knife,” Lambert said. “It is also clear the knife was pinned against the wall and that it was not a threat to anyone.”
“It did not justify firing on either one of them, let alone shooting someone in the head” Lambert added.
The woman, who was charged with four felonies, is due in court for a trial on Oct. 13, according to KSNV. She’s accused of breaking into Durham’s home intentionally and of wanting the police to respond.
Family wants a jury trial
Lambert and his co-counsel expect Bookman to be charged with first-degree murder, he said.
“It would be complete incompetence on behalf of the district attorney’s office if they were incapable of obtaining an indictment in this case,” Lambert said. ”We don’t think that this DA is incompetent.”
Durham’s family seeks more than $1 million in damages with their lawsuit, which demands a jury trial.
Durham’s death was the thirteenth officer-involved shooting and the eighth fatal officer-involved shooting in 2024, Koren said.
“I miss my father every day...I do love him,” his daughter, Isabella, said at an April 7 news conference, according to KSNV.
“I know he’s with me every day, and I know he is taking care of me — both, was in life and in death.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Cop shoots homeowner in head after he calls about intruder in Nevada, suit says."
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