Moment gunman and his 12-year-old hostage die in shoot-out with cops after the shooter had just killed boy's mom and housekeepeer and called 911 to say he was Batman villain Bane
Police in Nevada has released bodycam footage in the fatal shooting last month that left an armed 'drug addict' and his 12-year-old hostage dead, moments after the suspect murdered the boy's mother and their housekeeper.
The gunman, 38-year-old Jason Neo Bourne was fatally shot by police at The Douglas at Stonelake Apartments, in Henderson, on November 3.
Police encountered Bourne as he was holding 12-year-old Joseph Hawatmeh hostage inside a car with a gun against the boy's head.
Moments prior, Bourne had shot dead Joseph's mother, Diana Hawatmeh, 39, and their housekeeper 33-year-old Veronica Muniz, following a 'brief altercation'.
After refusing to cooperate with police, Bourne then reportedly shot Joseph, prompting seven officers to return fire.
Both Bourne and Joseph were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Henderson Police Department declined to specify whether any of the officer’s bullets had struck Joseph.
Deputy Henderson Police Chief David Burns said the evidence indicates that ‘it was the suspect’s actions that caused the death of the child.’
He added that ‘officers were unable to rescue the juvenile before he succumbed to the injuries inflicted by Bourne.’
Minutes before the fatal exchange of gunfire, Bourne had reportedly called 911 while police were searching for him, telling dispatchers he was ‘from the future’ and that his name was Bane, a supervillain from Batman .
He chillingly told dispatchers that he was ‘making a movie’ and that he and Hawatmeh wanted a helicopter – ‘a big chopper’, adding that ‘Joseph was scared’.
Bourne lived in the apartment above the Hawatmeh family. His motive for the killings has not yet been revealed by police.
Bodycam footage released by Las Vegas police has revealed the moment officers shot dead 38-year-old gunman Jason Neo Bourne in Henderson last month
Diana Hawatmeh, 39 (second right) and her 12-year-old son, Joseph (front and center), were shot dead during an incident involving their neighbor and the police in Nevada. The woman's 16-year-old daughter, Yasmeen (far right), was wounded in the shooting
Bourne had been holding the boy hostage in his Cadillac (seen above surrounded by cops) prior to the fatal shooting. Bourne was sitting in the driver’s seat, and the boy was next to him, Chief Burns said
Police were first called to the apartment complex at around 11am on November 3 after a neighbor reported hearing gunfire.
Veronica Muniz, 33, was was identified as the family's housekeeper, was also shot dead by Bourne
When officers arrived they found Muniz and Hawatmeh dead inside an apartment with gunshot wounds to their heads.
Police also found a 16-year-old girl injured from a gunshot wound. Family members later revealed to the Review Journal the teen victim was Diane Hawatmeh’s daughter, Yasmeen, who survived.
Burns revealed Wednesday that Bourne, who lived in the apartment above the Hawatmehs, kicked down the door of their home and force his way inside, shortly after sharing a ‘brief interaction’ with the victims.
Reports suggested last month that Bourne was a ‘drug addict’ and a preliminary investigation revealed he went on the killing rampage because he believed the Hawatmeh family had filed a complaint against him over alleged drug abuse.
The Henderson Police Department has refused to publicly confirm or deny the reports, insisting that Bourne’s motives are yet to be determined.
As officers were searching for Bourne, he called 911 telling dispatchers he was from the future and had just killed someone.
‘I want to introduce myself,’ Bourne said in the call, adding that his name was Bane, a villain from Batman. He said he was filming a movie and told police that he wanted a helicopter.
Bourne then told dispatchers he was holding Joseph hostage, but didn’t want to hurt the boy. But when asked for his location, he told Joseph to tell them.
‘If you get your address wrong, I have to kill you,’ Bourne is heard telling the boy on the recorded call, police said.
The gun used by Bourne is shown above in shown in the above image, with what appears to be block covering the grip and chamber
A box of blood-stained bullets was also found inside the car where Bourne was holding Joseph hostage
When officers arrived they found Muniz and Hawatmeh dead inside an apartment with gunshot wounds to their heads. Bourne's Cadillac is shown in the above image
Henderson Police officers and SWAT vehicles are shown at the scene of the fatal shooting at the apartment complex in Nevada
Officers were directed to the suspect’s Cadillac Escalade parked at the apartment complex. Bourne was sitting in the driver’s seat, and the boy was next to him, Chief Burns said.
Prior to the fatal exchange of gunfire, Bourne had reportedly called police while they were searching for him, telling them he was ‘from the future’ and that his name was Bane, a supervillain from Batman (shown above)
Bourne, who was still on the phone with the dispatcher, had the gun pointed at the boy and refused to roll down his window or interact with the officers, according to police.
Bodycam footage released by the department on Wednesday shows an officer aiming a rifle at the car, calling out that Bourne is ‘pointing’ his gun.
‘Take the shot if you have it, but do not hit that …’ a female officer is heard saying out of frame, with her sentence then abruptly cut off by the firing of the male officer’s rifle.
As bullets rang out a male voice is heard screaming ‘There’s a kid in the car’ from elsewhere in the apartment complex.
Police removed the child from the car and attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene along with Bourne.
Bourne died of multiple gunshot wounds. Joseph, meanwhile, died of gunshot wounds to the head and chest, according to coroners. Both deaths have been ruled homicides.
In total, seven officers opened fire during the shooting, Burns said Wednesday.
They have been identified by the department as Jesse Hehn, James Pendleton, Philip Duffy, Brett Anderson, Jesse Lujan, Seth Price and Luis Amezcua.
All have been placed on routine paid administrative leave while the department investigates the shooting.
Bodycam footage released by the department on Wednesday shows an officer aiming a rifle at the car, calling out that Bourne is ‘pointing’ his gun
Henderson Police officers are shown at the scene of a fatal shooting in an apartment complex in Henderson, Nev. Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Diana worked as substitute teacher at Saint John the Baptist Middle School in Utah. She was also a Zumba instructor and entrepreneur
Relatives and friends of the Hawatmehs said Diana and her family split their time between Sandy, Utah, and Henderson, Nevada
Relatives and friends of the Hawatmehs said Diana and her family split their time between Sandy, Utah, and Henderson, Nevada.
Diana worked as substitute teacher at Saint John the Baptist Middle School in Utah, where her son, known to his loved ones as JoJo, was a seventh-grader.
She was also a Zumba instructor and entrepreneur.
According to a letter the Skaggs Catholic Center community, where Diana was an active member, her husband and eldest son, Layth, were not involved in the shooting in Nevada.
At a vigil on in Draper, Utah last month, some 200 friends and members of the community mourned and prayed for the victims.
'She was one of a kind. She was special. She was graceful. She was elegant. She was kind, so kind,' Diana's close friend, Mary Ann Horn, told Fox 13.
Galey Colosimo, principal of Juan Diego Catholic High School, described the shooting that took the lives of Diana and Joseph Hawatmeh as a 'gut punch' and a 'tragedy of untold proportions.'
'She was a faith-filled woman, very much a family-oriented mother and wife,' he told Deseret News of the married mom-of-three, 'very vivacious, very fun loving and lots of energy, a beautiful woman.'
Felicia Frakes, a secretary at Saint John The Baptist Middle School, said Joseph liked the theater and participated in school plays, while his sister, who is a junior at Juan Diego Catholic High School, sang in the choir and played volleyball.
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