Bodycam footage shows altercation that led to police shooting man at airport

The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a battery suspect in an officer-involved shooting that happened Thursday morning at McCarran International Airport.

During a briefing Saturday, Clark County Assistant Sheriff Charles Hank identified the man as Jordan Henry, 32. Henry faces charges of battery on a protected person resulting in substantial bodily harm, battery on a protected person and trespass.

Henry remains at University Medical Center’s trauma unit, where he is in critical condition, Hank said. Henry was booked in absentia into the Clark County Detention Center.

On Saturday, police also identified the officer who shot Henry on the airport tarmac: Sgt. Jason Hansen, who, according to a Metro news release, is assigned to the department’s airport bureau.

Hansen, 43, who has been employed by Metro since January 2001, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a review of the shooting.

Metro officials told reporters that Henry came to Las Vegas on Nov. 17 on a flight from Indianapolis. Police said Henry was at the airport for a flight scheduled Wednesday — the day before the confrontation — but he missed the flight.

Henry wasn’t a ticketed passenger for any airline Thursday, Hank said.

Police believe Henry was with another person at the airport, but Hank said that is still under investigation. Police said they don’t know why Henry was in the restricted area at the airport.

The officers who had initial contact with the man “attempted to handle the situation peacefully,” Hank told reporters, adding that Henry was “very violent, very aggressive, in a rage. Just extremely hostile.”

One of the officers involved suffered a broken nose, orbital fracture to the area surrounding his eye and a fractured finger when Henry struck him, Hank said.

Henry’s criminal history includes arrests in Georgia for criminal trespass, two counts of battery against a police officer and obstructing a police officer by use of threats or violence, Hank said.

At Saturday’s briefing, Hank provided a timeline for the events that led to the shooting.

At 2:29 a.m., Henry was seen on surveillance video entering Terminal 3 by the Alaska Airlines counter.

At 3:12 a.m., Henry walked behind a ticket counter and breached a door marked “authorized personnel only” that led to a restricted employee-only area, police said. He triggered alarms as he walked through other doors within the restricted area.

During the briefing, Hank showed a map of the path Henry probably traveled between Terminal 3 and Terminal 1. According to the map, Henry accessed the ground level near the E gates, which then leads to Terminal 1.

As Henry walked by the C gates in Terminal 1, an airport employee saw him and reported a suspicious person within a restricted area to the Airport Control Center, which notified Metro.

The first responding police officer spotted Henry around the C gates near gate 23 in the baggage handling area and approached him. The officer told Henry he wasn’t allowed to be within the restricted area and began to escort him back to the public area.

A second officer arrived and stepped out of his vehicle to help. The officer standing next to him tried to grab Henry’s arm to conduct a pat-down.

Henry pulled away from the officer’s grasp, screamed and charged toward the second officer, who was still standing next to his patrol vehicle, police said.

Both officers fired their stun guns at Henry, which were ineffective. Henry continued to move toward the second officer, punching him in the face and knocking him unconscious, police said.

Hank told reporters that he believes the officer was unconscious briefly but that he didn’t have the exact time — “just a few seconds, from what I believe.”

The first officer to meet Henry and Hansen went into a foot chase. Another officer was able to cut Henry off with his patrol vehicle. Henry turned toward the officers chasing him.

Henry screamed again as he ran toward one of the officers, who walked backward as he fired his stun gun, which was ineffective. Henry punched the officer in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

Henry turned toward Hansen and began to charge him. “Sgt. Hansen gave Henry commands to ‘get on the ground,’ but Henry refused to comply,” Hank said.

Hansen fired two rounds around 4:03 a.m., striking Henry in the torso area.

Medical help was called, and while waiting for their arrival, officers performed “lifesaving measures” on Henry, Hank said. Henry underwent surgery at UMC’s trauma unit.

It was the 16th shooting — and the 12th nonfatal shooting — this year by a Metro officer. At the same time last year, there had been 21 — 10 of which were nonfatal.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.