Who will pay for townhome destruction after deadly Henderson barricade?

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A days-long barricade ended with one man dead and a Henderson townhome destroyed to get to him. However, the man didn’t live at the residence.

Over 36 hours of gunfire and negotiations with a man the 8 News Now Investigators have identified as 31-year-old Trevor Cooper, a jujitsu specialist, left the residence he was barricading
in with broken windows, a boarded-up garage, and the back portion ripped off. The Henderson Police Department (HPD) confirmed gunfire was exchanged and tactical equipment was used to enter by Sunday morning when they said they found Cooper deceased.

Saturday night, video captured excavators rolling up behind the townhome at Callen Falls Avenue near Galleria Drive and Water Street, before knocking down the roof, walls, and floors of it. HPD declined interviews with 8 News Now and is yet to update as to why the demolition was pursued before finding the subject dead.

Further, county records indicate Cooper did not own the unit he was barricaded inside. Eminent Domain Lawyer Kermitt Waters said the dilemma has appeared before.

He points to decades of state supreme court rulings in similar cases that typically found the homeowner left with the bill to rebuild after their home was destroyed during a criminal
situation enforcement responded to, whether that owner was involved in the crime or not.

“Police are trying to do their job protecting themselves, but at the same time, if it’s your house and you’ve got nothing to do with it, it’s a matter of fairness,” Waters said during a
virtual interview on Monday afternoon.

While it’s unclear how much the total damage is estimated at, the homeowner in this barricade could benefit from a new case the United States Supreme Court plans to hear. The case out of
Indiana involved law enforcement destroying a home they believed a criminal suspect was inside of, though later revealed it was the wrong home.

Waters said that decision may overturn previous state supreme court rulings.

“It looks like a case where the city will wind up having to pay compensation to rebuild the house,” Waters said.

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