What really happened?

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008 | 2:08 a.m.

In the minutes after a fatal police shooting Feb. 12, a Henderson police captain asked the Federal Aviation Administration to have the airspace over the scene cleared, which would bar TV news helicopters from flying over to take video.

Such requests are rare, typically coming only in standoff and hostage situations when police fear live video shown on TV could tip off a suspect to police tactics.

In Henderson, SWAT was not involved in the case, but a KLAS Channel 8 helicopter was kept at bay for at least 90 minutes.

Asked why, Henderson Police Chief Richard Perkins didn’t have an answer, but he said the request “probably had no bearing on the case.”

It does, however, have a bearing on the public’s perception of the police. When an officer shoots a person, police should be open and honest about the case it’s a matter of public trust. But the way Henderson Police have handled this case in the public eye has left more questions than answers, and it shouldn’t be that way.

Police said a 42-year-old ice cream truck driver attacked an officer, and threatened police with a knife, following a traffic stop involving her husband. The police say an officer shot her after Tasers didn’t work. Some witnesses said they never saw a knife, and the woman’s husband says she had her hands up when she was shot.

Instead of specifically addressing the issues raised, Perkins has attacked the media. He called a news conference last week to address what he said was “misinformation” reported in the media. The misinformation he cited, however, included information his department had provided in a news release.

Perkins said the facts support his officer and will come out in April at a coroner’s inquest, a type of hearing that has been justly criticized for its lack of transparency. At this point, all we know is that the way the Henderson Police Department has handled this situation has hurt its own credibility.