DA: Corrections officers actions were justified in incident that led to inmate’s death

By Brian Nordli

Thursday, March 6, 2014 | 11:12 a.m.

The Clark County District Attorney’s Office announced today that the corrections officers’ actions that led to the death of an inmate last year were legally justified.

According to the Police Fatality Public Fact-Finding Review report released today, officers did not use excessive force while restraining inmate Luis Solano.

The review was conducted Feb. 6 to investigate the death of Solano, who went unconscious after officers attempted to restrain him Feb. 25, 2013. He died March 6 at University Medical Center.

The details outlined in the report indicate that Solano had been causing a disruption in the detention center, posing a threat to officers and inmates. Corrections officers moved him to the psychiatric module, but he continued to behave erratically and refused to listen to officers’ commands.

Solano then resisted the officers when they attempted to handcuff him, and additional officers arrived to help restrain him. Once officers placed him in a restraint chair, they discovered he was unconscious, the report said.

Officers immediately called for medical assistance and attempted to revive Solano. He was in stable condition until March 1, 2013, when his condition worsened, and he died five days later.

The determination is based on evidence available to the district attorney and could be re-examined if new information is made available, district attorney officials said.