Las Vegas police officer ‘did not have criminal intent’ in 2024 fatal shooting, counsel says
By Spencer Levering and Bryan Horwath
Jul 25, 2025
The Las Vegas Police Protective Association’s attorney on Friday defended a grand jury’s decision not to indict a Metropolitan Police Department officer after the 2024 shooting death of a Las Vegas man in his home.
Metro officer Alexander Bookman fatally shot Brandon Durham, 43, on Nov. 12 after Durham called police to report a burglary.
A lawyer who represents Durham’s family announced Thursday that Bookman would not be indicted. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson confirmed that decision.
At the police union’s office on Friday, David Roger, counsel for the police union, told reporters that Bookman was informed Thursday night that he would not be indicted in Durham’s death.
“Whether you believe officer Bookman shot the wrong person or whether you believe that officer Bookman thought that Mr. Durham was the aggressor, he did not have criminal intent, and that’s what the grand jury has been focused on,” Roger said. “There will be a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking about what officer Bookman did in those two seconds, but that will occur in a civil lawsuit.”
Roger said Bookman testified before the grand jury and was “devastated because he had to take a life.”
A Friday morning statement from Metro noted that Bookman was on paid administrative leave and the shooting would be analyzed by the department’s use of force board, which includes civilian members, along with a tactical review board.
“From our perspective, his perception that Mr. Durham was the aggressor and that he posed a threat to the life of the female was justified under the circumstances, and we believe respectfully that the grand jury made the right decision,” Roger said.
Durham’s family had hoped the officer would be indicted in the case.
“This failure to act is a betrayal of the public trust and a violation of the District Attorney’s sworn duty to uphold the law without fear or favor,” Attorney S. Lee Merritt said in a Thursday statement. “Officer Bookman murdered Brandon Durham in cold blood. This community deserves transparency, accountability and justice.”
In a statement issued Friday, Wolfson said he rejected Merritt’s criticism and respected the grand jury’s decision.
“That rhetoric is not only unfounded, but clearly not intended to further a legitimate public discourse which this truly horrible tragedy deserves,” he said.
At the news conference, Roger presented a slideshow detailing the circumstances surrounding Durham’s call to police and Bookman’s actions.
Body camera footage shows that Bookman had responded to Durham’s house the previous day, Nov. 11, for a call reporting an alleged intruder, later identified as Alejandra Boudreaux, 31, and had told her to leave the home.
Roger said Durham was in a domestic relationship with Boudreaux, but the couple decided to break up and buy a ticket for Boudreaux to fly to Florida. Roger said Durham canceled Boudreaux’s plane ticket while she was at the airport. Boudreaux then went to Durham’s home on the 6900 block of Wine River Drive, just west of Sunset Park and south of Harry Reid International Airport.
When Boudreaux arrived, Roger said, she saw Durham with another woman in his “man cave” through a window before breaking a window and entering his home. Roger said Durham’s daughter heard the commotion and then handed him a phone to call the police.
In his call to 911, Roger said, Durham reported that two people were shooting at his house and that “they already killed someone” without mentioning Boudreaux.
After Durham called 911, Bookman arrived at Durham’s home to find Durham and Boudreaux struggling over a knife. Bookman gave two commands to drop the knife and, less than two seconds later, fired shots at Durham, according to the footage. In the footage, Bookman fired his gun and continued shooting at Durham as he and Boudreaux fell.
Roger said Bookman thought Durham had control over the knife and shot Durham to help save Boudreaux.
A toxicology report released by the county showed Durham’s system had methamphetamine and amphetamine.
Roger argued that the drugs in Durham’s system could have impaired him and caused him to hallucinate and act more aggressively.
“Did the methamphetamine, because he was high on meth, affect his ability to understand?” Roger said. “Was he truly the aggressor at the time, and wasn’t going to drop the knife? What we do know is he did not drop the knife, and officer Bookman had to make a decision to save someone’s life.”
Roger said that, after the shooting, a crime scene analyst recovered two knives within Durham’s reach that had his DNA on the handles and blades, while Boudreaux’s DNA was not found on either knife. He added that Boudreaux told police that she let Durham have control over the knife while it was above her head. Those factors, with body camera footage, supported Bookman’s need to shoot Durham, Roger said.
“Officer Bookman didn’t put on his badge and gun that day thinking, ‘I want to go kill somebody today,’” Roger said. “He would have much rather, I am sure, conducted his calls and gone home that evening, but he was forced into the situation.”
Roger said Bookman initially shot Durham in the head to avoid hitting Boudreaux and continued firing at Durham because Bookman believed he was still a threat.
After the shooting, Boudreaux was indicted on counts of home invasion, assault with a deadly weapon and child abuse, neglect or endangerment in connection with the alleged break-in.
Durham’s mom told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Thursday that she was “truly disappointed” that Bookman wouldn’t be indicted.
“It’s obvious what happened, that my son was murdered,” Lenore DeJesus said. “This cop had no reason to shoot him, and he should be held accountable, and he is not. I’m really disappointed that they didn’t have the courage to stand up and do what was right.”
Roger previously said Bookman “was doing his job and did not have criminal intent when he shot to eliminate a threat.”
Union President Steve Grammas said the killing of Durham “is something that has weighed heavily on our community, on our police department and our association since last year.”
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