Police Fatality Fact-Finding Review for Julian McCoy – March 16, 2026
Police Fatality Public Fact-Finding Review: Death of Julian McCoy
On March 16, 2026, the Clark County Police Fatality Public Fact-Finding Review was held to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Julian McCoy, who died on June 15, 2024, during an incident with North Las Vegas Police Department (NLVPD) officers. The review was conducted in the Commission Chambers at the Clark County Government Center in downtown Las Vegas, starting at 2:00 p.m.. Hearing Officer Mandy McKellar presided, with Willard Ewing as Ombudsman representing the public and McCoy's family. Chief Deputy District Attorney Tyler Smith presented the facts, and Detective Shane Forsberg (NLVPD) served as the primary witness.
The review followed the District Attorney's preliminary determination that no criminal prosecution of the officers was appropriate, as required by Clark County Ordinance Chapter 2.12. The purpose was to present essential facts to the public; no formal determination of the cause or manner of death was rendered.
Presentation of Facts
Detective Forsberg presented a detailed timeline and evidence:
- 6/15/2024, ~9:04 p.m.: NLVPD Officer Rios attempted a traffic stop of McCoy's silver Chevrolet Malibu; McCoy failed to yield and drove recklessly, running a red light.
- ~9:07 p.m.: 911 calls reported a vehicle collision and an armed subject. Multiple callers stated the driver had a rifle and had pointed it at people.
- ~9:15 p.m.: Officers arrived at the intersection of Craig Road and North Fifth Street. They visually confirmed McCoy was armed with a rifle and waving it inside the vehicle. Verbal commands to drop the weapon were ignored.
- ~9:24 p.m.: McCoy pointed the rifle out of the passenger window directly at a patrol vehicle where Officer Dolan was using the PA system. Seven NLVPD officers discharged their weapons, striking McCoy multiple times. McCoy was declared deceased at the scene.
Key evidence presented:
- McCoy's weapon: A loaded .22 caliber lever-action rifle (Browning) containing 15 cartridges. The rifle was functional and had been struck by gunfire, damaging the stock. A live .22 cartridge was found on the passenger seat, indicating a round was chambered.
- Officers' weapons: Seven officers fired a total of 92 rounds (67 9mm and 27 .223 caliber). The breakdown: Officer Barnes (12 rifle rounds), Chevalier (7), DeLorco (15), Garcia (25–26, with one discrepancy), Guerin (13), Rigsby (3), Ryan (17).
- Autopsy results: Cause of death: multiple gunshot wounds; manner: homicide. 13 intact projectiles were recovered from McCoy's body, plus one additional bullet found during autopsy preparation. Toxicology showed methamphetamine at 3,000 ng/mL (30 times the legal per se limit of 100 ng/mL for driving) and cocaine at 32 ng/mL.
- Traffic collision: McCoy was the accident-causing driver, entering the intersection against a red light and striking multiple vehicles.
- Witness statements: A civilian witness and a NLV Fire Department paramedic reported that McCoy pointed the rifle at them. Body-worn camera footage from multiple officers was shown, including the moment the rifle barrel extended out the passenger window toward officers.
Discussion Items
The Ombudsman, Willard Ewing, questioned Detective Forsberg on several points:
- Family outreach: A female family member had contacted NLVPD early on but did not leave contact information; no further family involvement occurred.
- Officer positioning: Officers closest to the suspect vehicle (south side: Garcia, Rigsby; north side: Ryan, Chevalier, DeLorco) had the best view and fired; officers farther away (Abshire, Lamb, Gutierrez Gonzalez, Pavlenko) did not fire due to lack of clear visual or unfavorable backdrop.
- Use of force justification: Officers were trained to fire only when they perceived an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. The unanimous trigger was McCoy aiming the rifle directly at officers. Several officers reported hearing commands to
Meeting Transcript
2024. I am Mandy McKeller. I will be presiding over today's proceeding. This review is being held because the Clark County District Attorney's Office has made a preliminary determination that no criminal prosecution of the officers involved in the death of July and McCoy 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 proceeding is to present the public with the essential facts surrounding the death of Miss Mr. McCoy. Chief Deputy District Attorney Tyler Smith will present today on today's fact-finding review on behalf of the district attorney's office. He 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 both the public and the McCoy family. He will have the opportunity to ask questions of the witness or witnesses. The procedure for questioning witnesses is informal with a view to providing the public with relevant information regarding use of force. The rules of evidence shall not be strictly enforced. Members of the public observing this review may submit proposed written questions on forms located in the back of this room and present it to one of the officers. I will then 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 is going to be made regarding the manner cause of death shall be rendered. Additionally, the following material is required to be presented, may contain graphic images or language. Viewer discret viewer discretion is advised when the graphic content is displayed. Does anybody have anything else to add? No. Okay, you can go ahead. Uh detective uh the state's witness will be detective Shane Forsberg. Uh sir, what is your occupation? I'm a sergeant with the North Las Vegas PD Detective Bureau, and in 2024 I was a homicide detective. How long have you been with North Las Vegas Police Department? Um about 19 years. And how long have you been a detective? I was a detective for five. And were you uh the investigator, uh the chief investigator involved in the uh officer-involved shooting death of Julian McCoy? Yes, I was. And that occurred on June 15th of 2024. Yes. And did you prepare a PowerPoint presentation to help uh explain the findings of your investigation here today? Yes, I did. Okay. Um could you please take us through a summary um of the events that occurred on June 15th, 2024 involving Julian McCoy? Yes, I can. On June 15th, 2024, officers of North Las Vegas PD were dispatched to the intersection of Craig Road and North Fist Street in reference to a vehicle collision and reports of an armed subject in one of the involved vehicles. Multiple citizens called 911 regarding the incident and advised NLBPD dispatch that one of the vehicles involved in the collision was a silver Chevrolet Malibu and that the driver of the Malibu was armed with a rifle. North Las Vegas fire and rescue personnel also responded to the call for service. Paramedics arrived prior to NLB PD patrol units. When paramedics attempted to check the welfare of the driver of the silver Chevrolet Malibu, pointed a rifle at them, and they sought cover and concealment behind uh fire department vehicles. When an LBPD patrol officers arrived on scene, they made a visual confirmation that the male occupant of the Chevrolet Malibu was armed with a rifle and was waving the rifle around inside of the vehicle. Multiple officers drew their weapons and verbally challenged the driver to put the gun down and exit the vehicle. Driver refused to comply with the verbal commands and continued to wave the rifle erratically inside of the vehicle cabin. After several minutes of verbal attempts to de-escalate the situation, the driver of the silver Malibu pointed the barrel of his rifle out of the open passenger window directly at a patrol vehicle that had three officers using it as cover and concealment. Multiple officers discharge their weapons, and the suspect was struck multiple times while inside of the vehicle.
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