North Las Vegas police release body-cam video, 911 call after triple-murder-turned-deadly police shooting of armed man
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – North Las Vegas police released officer-worn body-camera video and a 911 call following a police shooting that left an armed man dead and the discovery of three bodies and a dog, police said.
It occurred on March 12 at an apartment complex in the 2200 block of East Nelson Avenue near Civic Center Drive and Carey Avenue.
North Las Vegas police shoot, kill armed man; 3 women, 1 dog found dead in apartment complex
Officers said they responded to the apartment complex after a 911 caller reported hearing six gunshots. During the call, the dispatch operator could hear gunshots and screaming in the background.
When officers arrived they saw an armed man later identified as Edward Brooks, 43, approaching them. Police ordered Brooks multiple times to drop his handgun but he ignored their commands and continued to walk toward them, police said.
Man killed after shooting 3 in North Las Vegas faced murder charge, twice
Two officers discharged their guns striking the man. Officer-worn body-camera video showed the moment the officer commanded the armed man to drop his weapon. The video also showed the officer’s gunshots hitting the man. Officers were then seen disarming the man and securing the gun in the video.
Officers then began to check nearby apartments for any potential victims related to the original shooting call.
During the search, three women and a dog were found dead in two separate apartments with apparent gunshot wounds. A young child was also found unharmed in one of the apartments, police said. The women were later identified by the coroner as Africa A. Woods-McGill, 52, Venus M. Hart, 48, and Tiffany K. Mawhorter, 42.
The two North Las Vegas police officers involved in the shooting were identified as Officer Kenneth Townsley who was hired in 2020 and Officer Kevin Calderon who was hired in 2022, police said.
Officer Townsley fired six shots from his rifle and Officer Calderon fired two shots from his handgun. Per department policy, both officers were placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, police said.
Had Brooks survived he would have faced charges of open murder, assault with a deadly weapon on a protected person, ex-felon in possession of a firearm, failure to register as an ex-felon, burglary with a deadly weapon, and animal abuse, police said.
Brooks also had a lengthy criminal history which included previous charges of murder in 2000, and attempted murder and rape in 2004, police said.
Detectives continue to investigate the incident but said they believe Brooks was staying in one of the apartments of the complex and there did not appear to be a domestic relationship between Brooks and any of the women, according to police.
The shooting is an ongoing investigation by North Las Vegas Police Department detectives.
Anyone with information on the crime can call the North Las Vegas Police Department at 702- 633-9111 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 to remain anonymous.
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