Woman shot by police grabbed officer’s gun, authorities say

Fri, Nov 8, 2019 (2:05 p.m.)

By the time officers made their way up the second-floor apartment last month, a mother had stabbed her young son 25 times, Henderson Police said. And as one of the officers tried placing the woman in custody, a struggle ensued.

Claudia Nadia Rodriguez took an officer's gun while they wrestled on the living room floor, police said. Three shots can be heard on body-camera footage released Thursday night.

Rodriguez fired one of those bullets, police said.

Along with the disturbing video, police also released 911 recordings and further information detailing the deadly officer-involved shooting.

The chain of events that led to Rodriguez's death began with her call to 911 about 12:10 p.m. on Oct. 21.

A 6-year-old child cried as his mother tried to summon police to the apartment complex in the 10700 block of South Eastern Avenue, near Horizon Ridge Parkway.

The operator had a difficult time understanding the woman, but the child could be heard saying, "My mom is trying to kill me."

The line eventually went dead.

The first officer made his way up the stairs to the apartment about 15 minutes after the call. The boy, 7, opened the door. He was bloodied and disoriented.

Inside, the woman dropped to the floor and yelled, "You gotta kill me," the video shows.

The video then shows the woman trying to break free from an officer's arms and somehow grabbing his gun. By this time, a second officer is watching the struggle.

Three gunshots are heard before the video ends.

Rodriguez died at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center from a gunshot wound to the head, the Clark County Coroner's Office ruled.

The boy had emergency surgery at University Medical Center and was expected to survive.

Officers Edward Little and Patrick McCarrick were placed on routine paid administrative leave during the investigation of the episode.

Rodriguez had a history of domestic violence arrests — four since 2015.

In a contentious custody battle for the boy, his father alleged Rodriguez was mentally and physically abusive to him, her two older children from a previous relationship and the boy, according to Clark County Family Court records.

Her "violent temper" and lashing out "at anyone who is around at that moment" were affecting the boy, the father said in a court motion.

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