Officers on the stand this week told jurors they saw protester Jorge Gomez lift a rifle at them before they opened fire, testimony that has become the central question in a federal civil trial over his death. Gomez, 25, was shot outside the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse during downtown demonstrations on June 1, 2020. The case centers on whether the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s response that night — including a short burst of gunfire that left Gomez dead — was reasonable.
Sgt. Ryan Fryman and officers Dan Emerton, Andrew Locher and Vernon Ferguson all took the stand, saying they believed Gomez had pointed a weapon and that they needed to respond. The officers fired a combined 19 rounds in less than three seconds, and Clark County prosecutors later declined to press criminal charges. According to Las Vegas Review-Journal, jurors have been focused on whether Gomez actually aimed his rifle.
What officers told jurors
Ferguson and Locher testified Gomez turned and pointed a rifle at them, and Emerton told jurors, “The weapon turns in my direction and now I see the muzzle coming in my direction,” before opening fire. Emerton said he fired four rounds in roughly two seconds because he believed Gomez intended to kill him, and Fryman told the court he saw the gun rise and “I didn’t want to die.” Defense lawyers urged jurors to view the officers’ actions as split‑second decisions made under chaotic conditions. Las Vegas Review-Journal
Family’s version and evidence
Gomez’s family has pushed a sharply different account, releasing multiple surveillance clips and saying the footage doesn’t show him leveling a weapon. Lawyers for the family wrote in court filings that he “never pointed a gun at anyone,” and they contend that a detective’s earlier use of a beanbag shotgun sent Gomez running into the line of fire. The family’s claims and the video releases were documented by Nevada Current.
Night: Circus Circus, a shot and confusion…