Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Officer involved in shooting, accused of teen relationship resigns

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Luke Morrison

A Henderson police officer involved in a fatal shooting in 2008 and later accused of having an inappropriate relationship with his minor sister-in-law has resigned from the Henderson Police Department.

Officer Luke Morrison offered his resignation Monday, Henderson Acting Human Resources Director Fred Horvath said. No reason was given for Morrison’s resignation.

Morrison had been on paid administrative leave since July, pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation. City officials have declined to say what prompted the investigation, but Horvath said Morrison offered his resignation after going through a pre-disciplinary hearing.

“It was in conjunction with that entire process,” Horvath said.

Horvath said Morrison was not asked to resign, nor was there pressure placed upon him to do so.

“We would never put somebody in that position,” he said.

According to Clark County Family Court records, Morrison’s father-in-law attempted to seek a protective order in April to keep Morrison away from his then-17-year-old daughter, who is the sister of Morrison’s wife. The father-in-law accused Morrison of carrying on an inappropriate relationship with the girl since she had been 15.

A judge declined to issue the order, saying there was no evidence of domestic violence, which must be shown to justify a protective order. No criminal charges have been filed against Morrison.

Morrison is the officer who shot and killed Deshira Selimaj at a traffic stop in 2008 after he and fellow officers testified that Selimaj, whose husband had been pulled over, arrived at the scene, then became combative and lunged at officers with a knife.

A Clark County coroner’s jury ruled the shooting to be justified, but the ruling was not without controversy, as some witnesses disputed the police account of the events leading to the shooting.

Selimaj’s widower, Zyber Selimaj, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Henderson, which the city settled last month for $700,000. Though city officials said they maintain that Morrison acted correctly, they said it would be less expensive to settle than to litigate the case.

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