ACLU demands answers in Tashii Brown case

The ACLU of Nevada and NAACP Las Vegas have submitted a public records request to the office of Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson in an attempt to gather more information on the death of Tashii Brown, who died last year after Las Vegas police officer Kenneth Lopera placed him in an illegal chokehold after repeatedly shocking him with a stun gun.

Lopera was charged with two felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and oppression under the color of office in connection with the Brown’s death. A grand jury opted not to indict Lopera, and Wolfson’s office said it would take no further actions against the officer.

“Considering the fact that a Grand Jury did not find slight or marginal evidence to support a criminal charge, it is highly improbable that a crime could be established beyond a reasonable doubt,” Wolfson said at the time.

Last week, a fact-finding review designed to provide the public with transparency to officer-involved deaths did not satisfy many of the questions raised by Brown’s family and the ACLU, which says the review “provided no answers and no justice.”

In its public records request, ACLU and NAACP have asked for all documentation on policies, procedures, and guidelines for cases sent to a grand jury regarding police use of force. The organizations also requested any communications about the case between the District Attorney’s Office and the Las Vegas police union, Metro, and the campaign to re-elect Steve Wolfson.

“The tragedy of Tashii Brown’s death is magnified exponentially by the failure of the justice system in this case,” said ACLU of Nevada Executive director Tod Story. “Monday’s farce of a hearing revealed no new information and only focused on the police while so many questions about the decisions and actions of the District Attorney’s Office remain. Because the course pursued in this case raises many questions, we will continue to seek transparency and provide answers for the … family and the public.”