Indictment expected against Las Vegas officer involved in fatal shooting

CREATED Oct. 9, 2012

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  • For the first time in years a Metro Police officer could be indicted for his role in a fatal shooting Video by ktnv.com

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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- For the first time in years, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer could be indicted for his role in a fatal shooting.

It’s been almost 10 months since gunfire claimed the life of Gulf War veteran Stanley Gibson, but only now is there word that the officer who pulled the trigger, José Arevalo, could be facing a possible indictment. 

District Attorney Steve Wolfson hasn't confirmed what his plans are, but that hasn't stopped word from spreading after the police union said they received a video from Sheriff Doug Gillespie telling them he expects the DA to hand the case against Officer Arevalo over to a grand jury.

But if the district attorney does pursue the case, how he plans to proceed is not entirely clear.

“Our understanding is that DA Wolfson will not move forward with a specific charge against Officer Jesus Arevalo.  He's going to go in front of the grand jury without a specific charge” said Steve Sanson of the group Veterans In Politics, which has been pushing for charges against Arevalo since the shooting.

The president of the police union, Chris Collins said a video message was sent out through the department from Sheriff Doug Gillespie saying he does not believe the shooting should be pursued as a criminal matter. 

That video has not been released to the public.

Collins opposes the idea of letting a grand jury decide the officers fate. Instead he's pushing for a more public preliminary hearing. 

“It's clearly not criminal,” said Collins about the shooting.  “I mean Mr. Gibson's death is a tragedy, make no mistake.  There were some issues out there that night that I think, when the public is aware of, they'll understand it's not criminal.” 

Gibson’s widow Rondha also released a statement: 

"I want to let everybody know how grateful I am for the support and love so many people many have shown me through this time.

I am glad District Attorney Wolfson has really looked at this case instead of simply dismissing it as justified and I am eager for this process to move forward.

I do not hate the officers involved in this case, and that includes officer Arevalo, but it is very important to me that they are held accountable for their actions that led to the death of my husband.

My biggest fear now is that Stanley will end up a statistic. That's something I never want to happen, and I hope that if one positive thing can come from what happened to my husband, it is that police officers understand post traumatic stress disorder and become properly trained to deal with people suffering from it. I want them to know the signs and be aware.

Stanley was a wonderful person. I wish there was a way to get across to everyone just how special he really was. I would not wish this on anyone and I truly hope that because of what happened other families may be spared from similar tragedies."