Police Fatality Public Fact-Finding Review for Death of Cesar Reyes – March 9, 2026
Police Fatality Public Fact-Finding Review for Death of Cesar Reyes – March 9, 2026
A public fact-finding review was held on March 9, 2026, at the Clark County Government Center in Las Vegas to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Cesar Reyes, who died on December 8, 2024, during an incident involving Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers. The review was mandated because the Clark County District Attorney's Office preliminarily determined that no criminal prosecution of the involved officer was appropriate. Presiding Officer Mandy McKellar oversaw the proceedings, with Willard Ewing serving as ombudsman representing the public and the Reyes family, and Chief Deputy District Attorney Pam Weckerly presenting the case.
Discussion Items
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Presentation by Detective Andrew Evans: Detective Evans of LVMPD's Force Investigation Team presented the timeline and evidence. Key facts included:
- Reyes, 26, had been arrested in California for child pornography on December 6, 2024, bailed out, and entered as a missing person possibly suicidal and armed. He checked into a Las Vegas hotel on December 7.
- Hotel security performed a welfare check, heard a gun rack from inside the room, and police were called. SWAT and crisis negotiators arrived at 5:15 PM and attempted contact for several hours without response.
- At 9:54 PM, an explosive breach was deployed on the hotel room door. Reyes immediately exited, ran down the hallway carrying a shotgun, tripped over a tactical robot, and continued toward Officer Zach Adam (positioned near an elevator) who fired one round from a rifle at approximately 9:55 PM. Reyes was pronounced deceased minutes later.
- Evidence showed Reyes had an unloaded Winchester shotgun, an unloaded Glock 9mm, a knife, and suicide notes in the room. Toxicology revealed alcohol and caffeine.
- Officer Adam did not provide a statement to investigators but participated in a voluntary walkthrough; his body-worn camera was not activated, but his partner's helmet camera captured the incident.
- Autopsy cause of death: perforating gunshot wound of the head; manner: homicide. Additional self-inflicted lacerations were noted.
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Ombudsman Questioning: Willard Ewing posed questions on behalf of the Reyes family and the public, addressing:
- The timeline from police arrival (5:17 PM) to the breach (9:54 PM) and the three-hour duration of the standoff.
- Procedures for deploying non-lethal options and whether beanbag rounds or other less-lethal means were considered given that Reyes' firearms were unloaded.
- The role of negotiators, communication with the SWAT commander, and whether information that Reyes' family (including his mother) was driving from California and stuck in traffic a mile away was relayed. No evidence was found that this was communicated to the SWAT commander.
- The use of a scope on the sniper rifle and whether the headshot could have been influenced by magnification; Detective Evans noted Officer Adam did not provide a statement, so the intent behind the shot is unknown.
- The failure to wait for family members who arrived at the casino two minutes after the shooting; the detective deferred to command decisions and noted the situation was dynamic.
- The assumption that firearms are always treated as loaded; investigators confirmed no ammunition was found in the room.
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State's Rebuttal: Chief Deputy DA Weckerly briefly clarified that Reyes exited the room on his own, ran approximately 143 feet while officers commanded him to drop the gun, and he refused.
Key Outcomes
- No formal determination regarding the manner or cause of death was rendered, as per the ordinance governing fact-finding reviews.
- The review concluded that the public record of the investigation, including video and transcripts, is available on the Clark County website.
- No votes or decisions were taken; the meeting was informational only.
Meeting Transcript
Cesar Reyes on December 8th, 2024. I am Mandy McKeller. I will be presiding over today's proceedings. This review is being held because the Clark County District Attorney's Office has made the preliminary determination that no criminal prosecution of the offers officers involved in the death of Caesar Reyes is appropriate. Clark County Ordinance Chapter 2.12 requires public review following such a determination. This is not a trial. The purposes of today's proceedings is to present the public with essential facts surrounding the death of Mr. Reyes. Chief Deputy District Attorney Pan Reckerly is will present today's fact-finding review on behalf of the district attorney's office and will determine the witness or witnesses to be called. The ordinance does not provide subpoena power on my behalf and does not allow for any other party to call witnesses. Willard Ewing has been appointed as the embudsman. He represents the public and the Reyes family. He will have the opportunity to ask questions of the witness or witnesses. The procedure for questioning witnesses shall be informal with a view of providing the public with relevant information regarding the use of force in this case. The rules of evidence shall not be strictly enforced. Members of the public observing this review may submit proposed written questions on the forms located in the back of this room and present it to any of the officers. I will ask the question unless I determine that it is irrelevant, redundant, or an abuse of the review process. At the conclusion of this review, no formal determination regarding the manner or debt cause of death shall be rendered. Additionally, the following material that may be presented can contain graphic images or language. Viewer discretion is advised. Does anybody have anything to add? No. Okay, then go ahead. The state uh or the state calls Andrew Evans. Okay. And sir, how are you employed? With the force investigation team of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. What is the force investigation team? We investigate officer involved shootings in custody deaths and violent crimes against police officers. Were you the primary officer investigating an officer involved shooting on December the 8th of 2024? Yes. Can you describe where uh in Clark County that shooting took place? The shooting took place inside of a hotel off um South Las Vegas Boulevard and Silverado Ranch. And who was the subject officer? The subject officer was Officer Zach Adam. He was hired in January of 2006. At the time of the incident, he was 45 years old, assigned to SWAT. His body worn camera was not activated. However, his partner had a camera mounted to their helmet, which was placed on the floor next to their position. Officer Adam did provide a walkthrough, which we'll go through later, and he did not provide a statement to fit. What was the weapon involved? His weapon was a Laru tactical LT10 rifle as a 308, and the investigation revealed he fired one round. And were there witness officers? Yes, the witness officers were Sergeant Dixon, Officer Bunting, Officer Lee, and Officer Nord. And what can you tell us about the decedent in this case? The decedent was Caesar Reyes II. He was 26 years old. He was from California, and had he survived, he would have been charged with assault on protected person with deadly weapon, two counts, and resisting a public officer with a firearm. Did the decedent have weapons? Yes.
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