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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Police Fatality Public Fact-Finding Review for Death of Robert Fanello – May 14, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, May 14, 2026

BodyClark County, Nevada

SessionMeeting Portal

DateThursday, May 14, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 42:16

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:25

Good morning.

0:26

Welcome to today's police fatality public fact-finding review concerning the death of Robert Fennello on March 22nd, 2025.

0:34

I am Mandy McKeller.

0:36

I will be presiding over today's proceedings.

0:38

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 Robert Fanello is appropriate.

0:49

Clark County Ordinance Chapter 2.12 requires a public review following such a determination.

0:55

This is not a trial.

0:56

For the purposes of today's proceeding is to present the public with the essential facts surrounding the death of Mr.

1:03

Fanello.

1:04

Chief Deputy District Attorney Nicholas Portz will present today's fact-finding review on behalf of the district attorney's office.

1:11

He will determine the witness or witness to be called.

1:14

The ordinance does not provide subpoena power on my behalf and does not allow for any other party to call witnesses.

1:21

Carl Arnold will be appointed as the embudsman.

1:25

He represents both the public and Fanello family.

1:28

He will have the opportunity to ask questions of the witness or witnesses.

1:32

The procedure for questioning witnesses shall be informal with a view to providing the public with relevant information regarding the use of force, the rules of evidence shall not be strictly enforced.

1:44

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.

1:53

I will ask the question unless I determine that it is irrelevant, redundant, or an abuse of the review process.

1:59

At the conclusion of this review, no formal determination regarding the manner or cause of death shall be rendered.

2:05

As a reminder, uh the following material that is required to be presented may contain graphic images or language.

2:12

Viewer discretion is advised.

2:18

No.

2:19

No.

2:20

Okay.

2:20

Mr.

2:20

Portz, you can go ahead.

2:22

And we will call Detective Brian Walter.

2:25

Detective, just by way of background, can you tell us uh where you work?

2:28

I work at the for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and been employee for 22 years and currently assigned to the force investigation team.

2:35

Okay.

2:35

And the force investigation team is that commonly referred to as FIT?

2:38

Yes, sir, it is.

2:39

And what are the job duties and responsibilities of a detective on the FIT team?

2:43

Our primary focus is the unbiased investigation of officer-involved shootings.

2:47

We also cover any deadly or substantial violity harm injury to officers or citizens involving police actions and in custody deaths.

2:56

And does that include the investigation of officer involved shootings that result in fatalities?

3:00

Yes, sir, it does.

3:01

When an officer-involved shooting occurs within uh Metro's jurisdiction and the FIT team is called out to investigate, is it just one detective that responds or are there multiple detectives from that team?

3:12

There are multiple detectives, including a sergeant and lieutenant.

3:15

Okay.

3:16

And why is it that multiple detectives and the sergeant and lieutenant respond to these scenes?

3:20

Generally the scope of officer involved shootings is very broad, uh, very large scenes at times.

3:25

So there requires a numerous resources to do a proper investigation of those scenes.

3:29

Okay, so an officer-involved shooting takes place, the fit team responds, are different roles kind of divvied out to members of FIT to conduct the investigation into the shooting?

3:39

Yes, they are.

3:40

And what types of rules can be handed out?

3:42

Yeah, the primary investigator, which in this case is me.

3:44

And then you have uh detectives doing interviews uh to with officers or citizens, and then you have also detectives that are going to go to the hospital with the victim or suspects are transported to the hospital.

3:56

And do detectives also canvas for video surveillance on scene if that exists?

3:59

Yes, sir.

4:00

And uh you indicated that there is a primary case agent.

4:04

What's the role of the primary case agent on a fit response?

4:06

To oversee all the other detectives involved to make sure the scenes and video and uh um interviews are done uh correctly.

4:14

Okay.

4:14

And when the detectives assisting the primary case agent conduct their different uh collections of data or evidence, do they respond or provide that back to the primary or case agent on the fit team?

4:25

They do, and the case agent uh reviews all those all that the evidence and/or uh statements done.

4:31

So I want to direct your attention now, detective, to March 22nd of 2025.

4:37

Were you and members of the FIT team called out to the 6100 block of Allen Cove Court?

4:42

Yes, sir.

4:43

And is that here in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada?

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Summary of Proceedings

Police Fatality Public Fact-Finding Review for Death of Robert Fanello – May 14, 2026

On May 14, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., the Clark County Police Fatality Public Fact-Finding Review was held in the Commission Chambers to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Robert Fanello on March 22, 2025. Hearing Officer Mandy McKellar presided, with Carl Arnold serving as ombudsman representing the public and the Fanello family. Chief Deputy District Attorney Nicholas Portz presented the facts on behalf of the District Attorney’s Office, which had preliminarily determined that no criminal prosecution of the involved officers was appropriate. Detective Brian Walter of the LVMPD Force Investigation Team (FIT) served as the primary witness.

Discussion Items

Overview of the Incident: Detective Walter testified that on March 22, 2025, at approximately 1:52 p.m., a suicide hotline contacted LVMPD dispatch reporting that Robert Fanello (68) had a loaded .357 Magnum revolver and stated he would shoot himself if no one came. Fanello admitted to beating his wife (identified as CF) for two days and said he would not put the firearm down. At 2:02 p.m., officers arrived and Fanello fired a warning shot into the air. At 2:06 p.m., officers observed Fanello in the cul-de-sac with the firearm. At 2:09 p.m., verbal commands were issued, and Fanello was asked to drop the weapon, with offers of help. At 2:10 p.m., Sergeant LeGrand saw Fanello holding the firearm to his head. At 2:12 p.m., Officer Larry Jones fired one round from his .223 rifle, striking Fanello. Fanello was taken into custody and transported to UMC, where he was pronounced deceased at 3:01 p.m.
Use of Force Explanation: Detective Walter testified that Officer Jones, positioned on the second floor of a nearby residence with a spotter (Officer Altamirano), saw Fanello raise his revolver toward the immediate action team (officers positioned down the street). Officer Jones stated he fired to protect the other officers. Body-worn camera and third-party video showed Fanello pointing his firearm in the direction of the action team. The action team was behind a patrol car, approximately six houses away (estimated 30–50 yards).
Ombudsman Questioning: Carl Arnold questioned Detective Walter about whether Officer Jones could see the action team, noting that the window view was obstructed and that the action team was not visible from the residence. Arnold highlighted that only three minutes elapsed between the first verbal commands (2:09 p.m.) and the shot (2:12 p.m.), and that the action team had crisis intervention training but did not have extended time to de-escalate. Detective Walter confirmed that Officer Jones could not see the action team but could hear them and knew their location via radio. Arnold also noted that the decedent had initiated the call for help via the suicide hotline.
Autopsy and Toxicology: The autopsy, conducted on April 8, 2025, by Dr. Nagy, listed cause of death as gunshot wound of the torso and manner of death as homicide. Toxicology showed caffeine and THC in Fanello’s system.
Applicable Charges: Had Fanello survived, he would have faced charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a protected person (three counts), battery domestic violence resulting in substantial bodily harm (victim over 60), and discharging a firearm where a person might be endangered.

Key Outcomes

The hearing was informational only; no formal determination regarding cause or manner of death was rendered. The District Attorney’s preliminary finding of no criminal prosecution was not altered by the review.
The ombudsman raised concerns about the brevity of de-escalation efforts (approximately three minutes) and the inability of Officer Jones to directly see the action team, though the DA’s office maintained that the use of force was justified because Fanello pointed a deadly weapon at officers within range.
No questions were submitted by the public during the proceeding.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. Welcome to today's police fatality public fact-finding review concerning the death of Robert Fennello on March 22nd, 2025. 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 a preliminary determination that no criminal prosecution of the officers involved in the death of Robert Fanello is appropriate. Clark County Ordinance Chapter 2.12 requires a public review following such a determination. This is not a trial. For the purposes of today's proceeding is to present the public with the essential facts surrounding the death of Mr. Fanello. Chief Deputy District Attorney Nicholas Portz will present today's fact-finding review on behalf of the district attorney's office. He will determine the witness or witness to be called. The ordinance does not provide subpoena power on my behalf and does not allow for any other party to call witnesses. Carl Arnold will be appointed as the embudsman. He represents both the public and Fanello 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 to providing the public with relevant information regarding the 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 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 cause of death shall be rendered. As a reminder, uh the following material that is required to be presented may contain graphic images or language. Viewer discretion is advised. No. No. Okay. Mr. Portz, you can go ahead. And we will call Detective Brian Walter. Detective, just by way of background, can you tell us uh where you work? I work at the for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and been employee for 22 years and currently assigned to the force investigation team. Okay. And the force investigation team is that commonly referred to as FIT? Yes, sir, it is. And what are the job duties and responsibilities of a detective on the FIT team? Our primary focus is the unbiased investigation of officer-involved shootings. We also cover any deadly or substantial violity harm injury to officers or citizens involving police actions and in custody deaths. And does that include the investigation of officer involved shootings that result in fatalities? Yes, sir, it does. When an officer-involved shooting occurs within uh Metro's jurisdiction and the FIT team is called out to investigate, is it just one detective that responds or are there multiple detectives from that team? There are multiple detectives, including a sergeant and lieutenant. Okay. And why is it that multiple detectives and the sergeant and lieutenant respond to these scenes? Generally the scope of officer involved shootings is very broad, uh, very large scenes at times. So there requires a numerous resources to do a proper investigation of those scenes. Okay, so an officer-involved shooting takes place, the fit team responds, are different roles kind of divvied out to members of FIT to conduct the investigation into the shooting? Yes, they are. And what types of rules can be handed out? Yeah, the primary investigator, which in this case is me. And then you have uh detectives doing interviews uh to with officers or citizens, and then you have also detectives that are going to go to the hospital with the victim or suspects are transported to the hospital. And do detectives also canvas for video surveillance on scene if that exists? Yes, sir.

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