LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – For the first time, we’re hearing from close friends of Brandon Durham, the man who called 911 for help this week but was shot and killed by a Las Vegas police officer.
The calls for accountability and answers are growing for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and the officer who shot and killed Durham. Metro Police say the investigation is still in its early stages, but there are still many unanswered questions.
I spoke with some of Durham’s loved ones, who shared emotional reactions to what happened – and what comes next.
His close friends tell me they are still trying to understand what happened.
“It was a bad recording. I’ve watched that video over 50 times,” Branden Cinquegrani said. “The officer was not threatened. He just didn’t take the time to de-escalate the situation, which he should have done and my friend was supposed to be here.”
Cinquegrani is talking about the body-worn camera video shared by Las Vegas police that shows Officer Alexander Bookman shooting at Durham.
I sat down with Cinquegrani in the real estate office where Durham worked. It is a place full of memories; Awards and photos of Durham’s daughter hang on the walls.
“His 15-year-old daughter just lost her father, virtually in front of her,” Cinquegrani said. “And you know, it’s hard. It’s very discouraging.’
Speaking about the chaotic scene that unfolded at Durham’s home early Tuesday morning, friends say it’s hard to believe it ended this way.
‘You can hear him. You can hear it. It wasn’t a girl’s voice. He wasn’t,” said Steve Cowan, another close friend of Durham.
Cowan tells me he was first on the scene and had to comfort his best friend’s daughter after the officer shot her father.
“Then the family and all of us walked up to Bella and told her, and that was just the most heartbreaking thing,” Cowan said. “That was probably the worst thing: having to tell a fifteen-year-old child that his father has died.”
Both Cinquegrani and Cowan tell me they want answers and responsibility for their friend.
I contacted the Las Vegas Metro Police on Friday to request some additional details and answers following Thursday’s press conference. At this time we have not heard anything.
“There needs to be some action where we make sure Metro is held accountable, and from here we can make things better,” Cinquegrani said. “We have to admit the mistake and move on. And there has to be justice.”
“Who was Brandon and what did he mean to you?” I asked Cinquegrani and Cowan.
“He was a beautiful soul,” Cinquegrani said. “He lit up a room. He had a huge personality. Everyone who met him loved him.”
“He was… he was crazy,” Cowan said. “‘Goofy’ would be the word I would use, loud and goofy. He danced his dance. That’s his thing.”
Durham wasn’t just any real estate agent. His friends tell me he was a proud Las Vegas resident, a huge sports fan and, most of all, a devoted father.
“He loved sports,” Cinquegrani said. “He was a big Vikings fan, Rebels fan, Golden Knights fan — a hometown boy.”
As for his friends, they are currently focused on supporting Durham’s family.
“His daughter no longer has her sole breadwinner. And she probably won’t be able to live where she grew up,” Cinquegrani said. “And it’s just very… it’s very disheartening. They have to do better.”