Las Vegas cop behind controversial killing now influential union leader
Las Vegas police officer Brian Yant shot and killed Cole, who was unarmed, during a raid of his aparpatagonia fleece vesttment in June of 2010.
Las Vegas cop behind controversial killing now influentpatagonia better sweater jacket mensial union leaderTrevon Cole in an undated family photo. (Courtesy Sequoia Pearce)
Las Vegas cop behind controversial killing now influential union leaderTrevon Cole, left, and Sequoia Pearce in an undated family photo. (Courtesy Sequoia Pearce)
Las Vegas cop behind controversial killing now influential union leaderMetro Police officer Brian Yant is handed a weapon during a court hearing on January 3, 2002. CANNON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL Family members of slain suspect Trevon Cole, from left, mother Nichelle Bratton, aunt Kimeryn Williams and aunt Tisha Bell comfort each other as they listen to testimony during a coroner s inquest at the Regional Justice Center Saturday, July 21, 2010, in Las Vegas. Las Vegas police Detective Bryan Yant, not shown, testified that Cole, tpatagonia store utahhough unarmed, appeared to be standing in a shooting stance when he encountered him during the July 21 police raid on Cole s apartment.
Las Vegas cop behind controversial killing now influential union leaderRJ FILE JEFF SCHEID/LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL Sequioa Pearce testifies during a cornorer s inquest at the Regional Justice Center on Friday, Aug. 20, 2010, in Las Vegas. Her boyfriend Trevon Cole was shot and killed when Las Vegas undercover detectives were executing a drug search warrant at Mirabella Apartments on June 11.
Detective Bryan Yant was the face of incompetence at the Metropolitan Police Department: a poster child for wrongful shooting deaths anpatagonia employee benefits of direct3d million dollar payouts, a driving force behind sweeping reforms to the agency s deadly force policies.
In other cities, an officer who kipatagonia girls better sweater fleece hoodylls an unarmed man under suspicious circumstanpatagonia nano air jacket reviewsces and is accused of lying to cover his tracks might be prosecuted. In Las Vegas, Yant kept his job.
And he s taken on a role that will make him more influential at Metro.
The officer, infamous for the 2010 killing of Trevon Cole, a small time marijuana dealer, is doling out advice in his new job as a union director in the Las Vegas Police Protective Association.
Part of Yant s duties include advising officers in police shootings, said Chris Collins, executive director of the union that represents rank and file Metro officers.
He s a huge asset to the union, Collins said. Bryan Yant lived through the hell of being in a police shooting.
Yant, a 14 year veteran, has been in the position a few months and has already responded to a few police shootings, although Collins declined to say which ones.
When he goes out in these situations he can tell somebody that it s like biting a s t sandwich. You re not going to like it, but you ll get through it, Collins said.
Yant has more experience with police shootings than just about everyone at Metro. Most police officers never fire their weapons, but Yant shot three people killing two men and wounding a third in his first 10 years on the job.
He shot and killed Richard Travis Brown after a foot pursuit in 2001. Two years later, he shot and wounded Melvin 插patagonia employee benefits of direct2入1Gilchrist after mistaking a baseball bat for a gun. Both shootings had significant problems, with Yant s version of the events failing to match either evidence at the scene or witness testimony.
But neither of his earlier shootings were as controversial as the night raid into Cole s apartment on Bonanza Road on June 11, 2010.
Yant, while working with an undercover narcotics unit, targeted the 21 year old after he bought 1.8 ounces of marijuana from Cole in four exchanges over several weeks.
But Yant made mistakes during his investigation, confusing Cole with someone withpatagonia gear reviews the samepatagonia employee benefits of direct0 name who had a lengthy criminal record in other states. That person did not match Cole s description or age, but a judge approved a search warrant with the false information.patagonia guide jacket new york
Yant also made significant mistakes during the raid.
After he kicked in the door to Cole s pitch black apartpatagonia guide jacket 101ment, he rushed to the bathroom to find Cole flushing marijuana down a toilet.
Yant said Cole, who was unarmed, lunged at the officer as if he had a gun. Yant shot Cole once in the head with his AR 15 rifle, which had a flashlight that wasn t working.
But the evidence, as in his earlier shootings, didn t match his story.
During a Clark County coroner s inquest two months after the shooting, Assistant District Attopatagonia hi loft down sweater reviewrney Chris Owens noted that the position of patagonia employee benefits of direct1Cole s body and the downward angle of the bullet through his cheek to his neck pointed toward an accidental discharge.
