Family of unarmed man killed by Metro officers not pleased with review

By Kailyn Brown

Monday, Aug. 22, 2016 | 10 p.m.

In a public fact-finding review Monday, Metro Police efforts to justify a fatal New Year’s Eve shooting served to further frustrate the unarmed man's family.

The review portrayed details leading up to the Dec. 31 death of Arizona resident Keith Childress, 23, in which no officers were prosecuted.

Officials are required under a Clark County ordinance to hold a review for police-involved shootings when officers are not charged. During the public event, audience members were able to write down questions, which were reviewed and read by the presiding officer.

Childress’ family, who were in attendance, did not agree with how the incident was handled.

“They shot my son for no reason,” Childress’ mother, Danielle Steagall, cried out hysterically at the Clark County Government Center. “This is all I have left from my son,” she said, holding his 2-month-old daughter.

Detective Craig Jex, of Metro’s force investigation team, presented body camera video and radio dispatch footage of the incident that led to Childress’ death.

U.S. marshals reported that Childress was wanted for attempted murder, but it was later determined that he had an arrest warrant relating to a 2013 home invasion in Phoenix, Jex said. He was listed as being “armed and dangerous with violent tendencies.”

An arrest warrant was issued for Childress after he failed to appear in court for sentencing in the 2013 case, Jex said. He was subsequently charged with burglary in the first degree, two counts of armed robbery, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of theft, Jex said.

“He was a good kid,” Childress’ aunt Rene Lott of Las Vegas said. “He had no other criminal history but they didn’t show that … What he got involved in was because of someone else.”

During a phone conversation, Steagall told detectives that her other son is serving nine years in prison for the same home invasion case, Jex said. She said Childress had fled Arizona to avoid prison time.

On Dec. 29, marshals discovered Childress may have been in Las Vegas with family, and they began surveillance on Childress the following day.

On New Year’s Eve, marshals attempted to apprehend Childress about 2 p.m. at the Monaco Park Apartments, 8350 W. Desert Inn Road, but he was able to escape, Jex said. They pursued him on foot and contacted Metro to assist.

Marshals reported at 4:16 p.m. that they found a handgun in a vehicle that Childress was getting into when they were trying to detain him, Jex said.

At 4:20 p.m., a Metro air unit located Childress in the 8300 block of Gilded Crown Court and notified patrol officers. Childress then began jumping fences and running between houses to get away, Jex said.

Metro Officer Blake Walford and Sgt. Robert Bohanon were coming into the area at 4:21 p.m. when they saw Childress walk into the street, Jex said.

According to video footage from Bohanon’s body camera that was shown during the presentation, he and Officer Walford took cover in a patrol vehicle and pointed their guns toward Childress. Bohanon gave at least 20 commands to Childress, saying, “Get on the ground,” “Let me see your hands,” and “Drop your gun.”

When Childress walked away from officers and went in front of a residence, Bohanon and Walford moved in closer, about 15 yards away, taking cover behind a vehicle, Jex said. Two marshals also surrounded Childress.

Walford told detectives that he could see that Childress had something in his pocket, which his hand was placed inside, and that the item appeared to be black, Jex said. The item was later determined to be a cellphone.

As Bohanon continued to give commands, he instructed Childress not walk toward them, but when he did, officers began to shoot at 4:23 p.m., Jex said.

Childress was shot five times, once in the leg, once in his wrist, twice in his upper body and once in his chest, Jex showed in a diagram. A Metro dog was deployed after the shooting and Jex said that it “engaged with the suspect.”

Childress’ uncle, Corey Johnson Sr. said the funeral home told the family that he received bite marks on his arm in addition to the gunshot wounds.

Childress’ death was ruled a homicide, according to the Clark County Coroner’s office, and a toxicology report showed no drugs in his system, Jex said.

Johnson argued that he saw different video footage that was not presented during the public review. “Everything is reading cover-up.”

As the public review came to a close, the presiding officer asked if anyone else had questions, and Childress’ mother said, “What else is there to ask? My son was killed for no reason.”