While at home with his 15-year-old daughter, a Las Vegas man called 911 to report two people attempting to break into his home in the early morning hours of Nov. 12. But when authorities arrived, the real tragedy struck.
During the 12:40 a.m. call, 43-year-old Brandon Durham told the operator the two suspects had successfully broken into his home through the front and back doors, according to officials. He also informed police he would be locked in the bathroom.
Released body cam footage shows three police officers rushing to the scene quickly noticing damage to the exterior of the house and screams from inside the home. Alexander Bookman, 26, was the first officer to enter the home. As he and other officers hurried through the Las Vegas house, they eventually spotted Durham in his underwear engaging in a physical altercation with a suspect wearing a red hoodie, according to NBC News.
Durham and the suspect, who has been identified as 31-year-old Alejandra Boudreaux, were struggling over a knife, according to Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren. That’s when officer Bookman told the pair to drop the knife, but not even two seconds later, Bookman fired his gun once, striking Durham.
Durham and Boudreaux fell to the ground, then Bookman proceeded to shoot Durham five more times, according to ABC News. Durham was pronounced dead at the scene. Two kitchen knives were recovered by police from the home as evidence.
Police took Boudreaux, who was not wounded, into custody. She faces charges on home invasion with a deadly weapon; assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence — suggesting Durham and Boudreaux knew each other — child abuse, neglect or endangerment; and performance of an act in willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons resulting in death. Authorities believe the invasion was a targeted act.
Durham’s family is disputing the police’s narrative, according to ABC 13. His daughter Isabella, 15, was in the home during the invasion. “I am disgusted in how the Metropolitan Police told my father, after killing him, to stay down,” she told KSNV. “Knowing, treating him like he was the suspect in the situation, he was the victim. I’m disgusted that the Metropolitan Police will allow me to live fatherless for the rest of my life.”
The family of Durham, a father of two and realtor, set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs, counseling, and other emotional support services for the family.