Inquest set for Sept. 22 in police Costco shooting

By Jackie Valley

Published Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010 | 9:49 a.m.

Updated Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010 | 3:33 p.m.

The coroner's inquest into an officer-involved shooting that killed 38-year-old Erik Scott has been rescheduled for Sept. 22.

The inquest, which will determine whether the officers were justified in shooting Scott, will begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 22 and could continue through Sept. 24 at the Regional Justice Center, according to the coroner's office.

The inquest originally was scheduled for Sept. 3 but was postponed due to time constraints. Clark County District Attorney David Roger had said his office needed more time for investigation. Plus, Sept. 3 is the Friday before Labor Day — an infeasible date for what likely will be a two-day inquest, he said.

The inquest will be extended beyond Sept. 24 if more time is needed to hear witness testimony, officials said.

Scott was killed July 10 after authorities say he pointed a gun at an officer, prompting three officers to shoot him. Some witness accounts have contradicted Metro's version of events.

Ross Goodman, the attorney representing Scott's family, said he is pleased the inquest has been rescheduled.

"We're looking forward to being able to review all the evidence, including the 911 tapes, the video, the witness statements and the officer statements, and the police report for that matter," he said.

Goodman said that's what the Scott family is looking forward to more than anything — the evidence, not the inquest. He said the family has not been in contact with Metro Police during the investigation into the shooting.

The autopsy and toxicology reports won't be released until the inquest, police said, which is typical for officer-involved shootings.

Earlier this week, Metro Police mailed and faxed about 120 letters to Summerlin Costco shoppers who were at the store around the time of the shooting. Police said they hope the letters prompt witnesses to come forward for interviews to help piece together a complete picture of events.

The family of Scott, a West Point graduate with a concealed weapon permit, has denied Metro's version of events and has since launched a campaign to raise awareness about the incident — both at the local and national level.

They bought ad space on Las Vegas billboards asking witnesses to come forward, flew banners over the U.S. Open of Surfing in California directing people to a website they created, and organized a candlelight vigil last week at Costco to mark the one-month anniversary of his death.