Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Francisco Pena
Age : 59
Gender : Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 08/22/2022
Location : 1625 Merchant Street, Apartment E
City : Sparks
County : Washoe
State : Nevada
Agency : Sparks Police Department
Officer(s) :Britt Brown; Tom Radley
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during police home invasion
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 08/22/2022, Sparks Police Department Officers Britt Brown and Tom Radley shot and killed 59-year-old Francisco Pena at an apartment at 1625 Merchant Street in Sparks after Pena's estranged wife called 911 from a neighbor's residence and reported a domestic violence incident. Dispatch received the call at approximately 7:54 p.m.
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Pena's estranged wife told police that she and Pena had been separated for several years and that he did not live at her apartment. According to the later Washoe County District Attorney investigation, Pena had learned that she was seeing another man and had sent threatening messages before going to her apartment and waiting for her to return. Police alleged that Pena confronted her with a knife and also had a firearm with him.
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According to the wife's account to investigators, Pena grabbed her, held a knife and demanded information about the other man. Police alleged that Pena pinned her down by her throat during the confrontation. Her teenage son intervened and attempted to take the knife from Pena, sustaining a cut in the process. The woman escaped to a neighbor's home and called 911 while her son remained inside the apartment with Pena.
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Brown and Radley were the first Sparks officers to arrive. Both had been advised by dispatch that the call involved a domestic disturbance, a knife, a firearm and an injured teenager who remained inside the apartment. The officers approached the second-floor apartment and heard yelling before reaching the doorway.
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Body-worn-camera footage shows Pena standing near the apartment doorway holding a knife while his teenage son remained close behind him. Officers repeatedly ordered Pena to drop the knife and show his hands. Pena continued yelling and did not drop it. According to the subsequent investigation, Pena's son and Brown reported hearing Pena yell for police to shoot him during the confrontation.
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Police alleged that Pena continued holding the knife while standing within close proximity of both the officers and his son. Brown fired one round from his rifle and Radley fired two rounds from his handgun. All three bullets struck Pena, who fell inside the apartment.
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After Pena fell, officers removed his teenage son from the apartment and provided medical aid to Pena. Emergency medical personnel transported Pena to Renown Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m.
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Investigators reported recovering the knife and a loaded semiautomatic firearm associated with Pena. The available investigative account does not state that Pena fired the firearm during the police encounter.
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The Washoe County Sheriff's Office led the independent investigation under the regional police-shooting protocol, with assistance from the Reno Police Department and Washoe County Crime Laboratory. Investigators reviewed witness interviews, physical evidence, forensic evidence and body-worn-camera recordings.
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On 12/27/2024, Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks released a 29-page review of the shooting and determined that Brown and Radley's use of deadly force was justified and lawful under Nevada law. The prosecutor concluded that the officers reasonably perceived an imminent threat to themselves and Pena's teenage son.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
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Britt Brown was one of the two Sparks Police Department officers who killed Pena. Brown fired one round from his department rifle.
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Tom Radley was the second Sparks Police Department officer who killed Pena. Radley fired two rounds from his handgun.
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Both officers were placed on administrative leave following the shooting while the Washoe County Sheriff's Office conducted the independent investigation.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.kolotv.com/2022/08/23/wcso-investigating-deadly-officer-involved-shooting-sparks/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2g_weNOBUA
https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2022/09/01/sparks-police-body-cam-footage-shooting-francisco-pena/7965775001/
https://mynews4.com/news/local/body-camera-footage-shows-man-wielding-knife-shot-killed-by-officers-in-sparks
https://washoelife.washoecounty.gov/sheriff/washoe-county-sheriffs-detectives-lead-officer-involved-shooting-investigation-in-sparks/
https://washoelife.washoecounty.gov/da/ois-report-released-5/
https://www.kolotv.com/2024/12/27/2022-sparks-officer-involved-shooting-that-left-one-man-dead-ruled-justified/
