Las Vegas Dad Who Called in a Break-in Fatally Shot by Cop

'I want justice for my father,' Brandon Durham's teen daughter says
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 18, 2024 8:39 AM CST
Las Vegas Dad Who Called in a Break-in Fatally Shot by Cop
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/carlballou)

An investigation in Las Vegas is underway after a local dad who called 911 over a break-in at his home was shot to death by police when they responded to the call. Per a release from Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, reports started pouring in early Tuesday about a shooting on Wine River Drive. Those included one from 43-year-old Brandon Durham, who'd stated "multiple people were outside shooting" and that he was barricading himself in his bathroom with his teen daughter, Koren told reporters on Thursday, per NBC News.

When cops arrived, "they observed damage to the house and could hear screaming coming from inside the residence," per the police release. The release notes that Officer Alexander Bookman then kicked in the front door and entered the home, finding Durham, in his underwear, struggling with a female suspect, who was wearing a red hoodie. "Hey, drop the knife," Bookman can be heard saying on bodycam footage shown by police Thursday, per NBC. Bookman fired his gun a couple of seconds after that, apparently striking Durham.

A criminal complaint seen by KSNV indicated that 31-year-old suspect Alejandra Boudreaux—who Koren notes had some sort of relationship with Durham—apparently wanted to be shot by police, in what's commonly called "suicide by cop." Boudreaux was arrested at the scene and faces charges of home invasion with a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon that constitutes domestic violence; willful or wanton disregard of safety of persons resulting in death; and child abuse, neglect, or endangerment. She's set to appear in court on Monday.

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"The loss of life in any type of incident like this is always tragic, and it's something we take very seriously," Koren says, per NBC. She notes that an investigation continues into the Bookman's use of force, including his "threat perception" in the moment. Meanwhile, Durham's 15-year-old daughter, Isabella, says that police treated her dad like he was the suspect. "I want justice for my father," she tells KSNV. Diane Wright, Durham's sister, said at the family's own Thursday presser, per KLAS: "My brother is dead because a police officer was not properly trained." Others weigh in here. (More police shooting stories.)

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