Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Metro Police, state leaders react to Chauvin conviction

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Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Metro Police Undersheriff Christopher Darcy, center, speaks during a news conference at Metro Police headquarters Tuesday, April 20, 2021. Darcy addressed the case of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty in the death of George Floyd.

Soon after video of George Floyd’s death emerged, a Metro Police colleague walked into Undersheriff Christopher Darcy’s office to show it to him, saying “I think the city’s going to burn,” foreshadowing raucous weekslong protests across the U.S., including in Las Vegas.

The video, which shows Floyd pinned under the knee of former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin for nearly 10 minutes, was an “utter shock and disappointing,” Darcy said.

On Tuesday, as a jury convicted Chauvin of second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter charges, sending shockwaves across the country, officials expressed their reactions.

“The death of Mr. Floyd has become a seminal event in law enforcement and within our community,” Darcy told reporters from Metro headquarters. “The Chauvin trial brought up a bigger issue about American policing, and we’re always willing to have that conversation here at (Metro).”

Flanked by Black religious leaders in Metro’s Multi-Cultural Advisory Council, a liaison between the agency and the community, Darcy highlighted Metro’s ongoing efforts in reforming the force and injecting diversity. 

Shortly before protests erupted in the valley, some of which turned unruly during a two-week period beginning May 29, Metro announced revisions to its use-of-force policies.

In the recent past, Las Vegas police have been involved in controversial deaths, which didn’t garner the same outrage as the killings of Floyd or Breonna Taylor, who was slain in a no-knock warrant in Kentucky. 

Tashii Brown died in 2017 after he was shocked with a Taser a half-dozen times and punched as he was held in an illegal chokehold for over a minute on the Strip. Prosecutors failed to secure an indictment on charges of involuntary manslaughter and oppression under the color of office for Metro Officer Kenneth Lopera.

Then there was Byron Williams in 2019, whose death in Metro custody due to methamphetamine intoxication, exacerbated by the “prone restraint” with a knee on his back, was deemed a homicide. No officers were charged in Williams’ death.

Metro’s response to the George Floyd-inspired protests — including the fatal police shooting in downtown Las Vegas of armed protester Jorge Gomez on June 1, moments after Officer Shay Mikalonis was shot in an unrelated shooting on the Strip — have been scrutinized.

Clark County District Attorney Steven Wolfson declined to pursue charges against the four officers who shot Gomez, triggering a contentious Police Fatality Public Fact-Finding Review Friday.

After the unprecedented racial justice demonstrations last summer, Metro published a 55-page report with recommendations on how to best respond to them and improve in areas such as training, communication, understanding the grievances, and dealing with legal observers and journalists, some of whom were arrested to the chagrin of local organizations. Additional training also was implemented.

In anticipation of future protests, including had the Chauvin verdict gone differently, Metro released the following statement: The agency “remains vigilant as the trial’s verdict is processed. Our officers remain ready to respond to any situation that may arise locally and have resources readily available.” 

“We have worked hard to ensure that there’s no environment in this police department for an officer like Derek Chauvin,” Darcy said.  

Nevada officials respond to Chauvin’s conviction

“I was, like many people across the country, relieved. To be clear, this is not about one officer or one police department,” U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., who is Black, told the Las Vegas Sun. “This is about a law enforcement system where we still need greater accountability.

“The world saw that video; the world saw George Floyd call out ‘mama, mama, mama’; the world saw his life leave his body,” he said. “He literally struggled in his last moments. That is why I think, ultimately, the jury came back with guilty charges across the board.”

When his children leave the house, Horsford said, he and his wife check on them constantly.

“It’s not because I’m worried about their actions,” he said. “I’m worried about an interaction they may have with law enforcement or someone else.”

"Today, a jury held George Floyd’s murderer accountable," said Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is Black, in a statement. "Mr. Floyd’s life mattered, just as every innocent life taken at the hands of law enforcement does. Let this trial serve as evidence that we will no longer tolerate the heinous killings of African Americans and minorities at the hand of rogue police officers.” 

He said that the relationship between law enforcement and minority communities has been strained, and noted that the Chauvin trial was “too painful for me to watch.”

“I did not want to relive the trauma — trauma that is, unfortunately, a common (recurrence) for me and so many others,” Ford said. “As an African American, I don’t take the mistreatment of members of my community or any minority community lightly. As Nevada's top law enforcement officer, my duty will always lie on the side of accountability and justice. Today, we saw specific accountability. But the fight for perpetual justice continues.” 

U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said in a statement: “This was the right decision. George Floyd should still be alive today,” she said. “Though the pain experienced by Mr. Floyd’s family, Minneapolis, and all of America cannot be erased, this is a step toward justice. Black Lives Matter. Our work is far from done. We must continue working together to create a stronger, more inclusive justice system that protects all of our communities.”

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., wrote in a statement: “The judicial system delivered accountability when it rendered a guilty verdict after carefully considering the evidence, but that does not change (the) fact that George Floyd should be alive today,” she said. “This verdict should remind us all of what often happens when Black lives are taken and there is no one around to record it.”

On Twitter, U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., said: “While our justice system worked today, George Floyd should still be alive. My heart remains with the Floyd family. We have so much work to do to bring an end to hate and senseless violence, and to reform how we conduct policing in America.”

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, in a statement, wrote: “I pray this verdict provides some justice and peace to George Floyd’s family and loved ones,” he said. “I join all those who are honoring George Floyd’s memory by recommitting to continue the hard work ahead of addressing historic and long-stemming injustices and racism in our country. I look forward to working with state and local leaders, along with community members throughout Nevada, to address issues of racial injustice, systemic inequalities and needed reforms.” 

Nevada-based Silver State Equality, an organization that advocates for the LGBTQ+ community, wrote in a statement: “Today’s verdict does not bring George Floyd back to his daughter, Gianna, his family or his community. And today’s verdict does not protect Black Americans from police brutality and white supremacy in this country,” Nevada Director Andre Wade wrote. “But today’s verdict is a somber reminder that all of us — including the LGBTQ+ community — must step up to fight anti-Black racism and violence.”

A sentencing hearing for Chauvin, who was handcuffed and remanded into custody after the verdict, was scheduled for eight weeks from Tuesday. A single trial for former Minnesota police officers Tou Thao, J. Kueng and Thomas Lane, who were charged with aiding and abetting Chauvin, is scheduled for August.

Sun reporter John Sadler contributed to this report.