Cop Shoots and Kills Dad Who Called 911 for Help, Instead of Home Invader: 'Fatherless for the Rest of My Life'

Mar. 15, 2025

Brandon Durham.Photo:Brandon Durham/Instagram

Brandon Durham/Instagram

In the early hours of Tuesday, Nov. 12, Brandon Durham called 911 and reported that two people were shooting into and attempting to break into his home, where he was with his 15-year-old daughter, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Later in the call, Durham, 43, stated that the suspects had successfully entered the residence through front and back doors, and told authorities he would be locking himself in the bathroom.

Brandon Durham.GoFundMe

GoFundMe

After noticing the physical damage, as well as screaming and banging noises coming from inside the house, Bookman kicked open the door and was the first to enter the Las Vegas home, police said.

As Bookman went deeper into the house, he saw Durham and the suspect, 31-year-old Alejandra Boudreaux, in a doorway of a bedroom, where they ​​“appeared to be struggling over a knife,” Koren said. (While Durham stated in his 911 call that two suspects had entered his home, police identified only one suspect in the incident.)

Bookman told the pair to drop the weapon. About one second later, Bookman discharged his firearm, striking Durham and causing both him and Boudreaux to fall, according to Koren and bodycam footage he shared during the conference. Bookman then shot Durham several more times as he was on the floor, motionless. He fired a total of six rounds.

Despite attempts to save Durham’s life, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren at a press conference about Brandon Durham.Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department/Facebook

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department/Facebook

Boudreaux, meanwhile, was taken into police custody, and now faces four charges: home invasion with a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence; child abuse, neglect or endangerment; and performance of an act in willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons resulting in death.

Investigators believe that Durham and Boudreaux knew each other and that the break-in “was not a random act of violence,” Koren said at the press conference.

He also said that authorities are “very early into the investigation” of the situation, and noted that despite Durham’s 911 call, which described shooting at the scene, there were no guns recovered, just two knives.

“The loss of life in any type of incident like this is always tragic,” Koren said at the conference. “And it’s something we take very seriously.”

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Brandon Durham.Brandon Durham/Instagram

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“The violence that occurred here was under someone who was extremely, extremely angry and extremely violent,” Isabella said while addressing reporters on Thursday, Nov. 14. “And I am disgusted in how the Metropolitan Police told my father, after killing him, to stay down. Knowing, treating him like he was the suspect in the situation, he was the victim, and I’m disgusted that the Metropolitan Police will allow me to live fatherless for the rest of my life.”

Durham’s partner Rachael Gore, who considered him a husband, also spoke out, stating that she blames lack of police training. “What are you looking at? Not the colors of the clothes, you’re looking at the color of the skin and that’s why he’s dead,” Gore said, per KSNV. “That’s why we don’t have him here.”

Durham’s family described him to KSNV as a realtor, chef and dedicated dad. He was father not only to Isabella but also a 13-year-old stepson, Branden, according to aGoFundMestarted for his family.

source: people.com