Investigators still are trying to determine the details around the shooting death of a Carson City deputy, said the Reno Police Public Information Officer.
The Reno Police Department took over the investigation into the shooting death of Carson City Deputy Carl Howell. Howell was killed Saturday when responding at 2:18 a.m. to a domestic call near the 4100 block of Montez Drive after a man opened fire and Howell returned fire. The suspect died at the scene and Howell later died at the hospital.
Tim Broadway, the Reno PD public information officer, said the department still is interviewing witnesses to determine what exactly happened. An autopsy was performed on Howell and the suspect Tuesday, but Broadway said results won’t be made public for at least another week.
Once the department has finished gathering all officer statements, then the investigators would sit down with the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, the Carson City District Attorney and the Carson City Manager to go over the findings and how to release the details.
“The purpose of the investigation is to determine the entire circumstances of the shooting,” Broadway said. “It is to see if the shooting was justified and to see the circumstances leading to the event and where we are at today with two people dead. It is also to provide closure to the family, friends and community.”
Broadway also said this, like all officer involved shootings, will be used as training purposes so officers will know how to approach and handle calls like this better.
He said it’s undetermined currently whether Howell was on the porch and the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Jonathon Pope, shot Howell from inside of the house through glass in the front door or whether the door was open. Broadway said there was a lot of glass on the porch and that it would seem reasonable the suspect was inside the house, however it’s up to forensics to determine. It’s known Howell made contact with the suspect, but the department is still gathering officer statements. Both men were firing with handguns, officials said.
There was a second deputy on scene, but Broadway said he was talking to the female victim on the lawn and didn’t have time to draw his gun before the shoot-out concluded.
“A gun battle isn’t like it is on TV,” Broadway said. “It doesn’t last a long time, it is usually only a few seconds long. By the time the second deputy realized that shots were fired, it was over.”
It’s also unknown whether the suspect had the gun legally or not. Broadway said he had little information on Pope’s possible criminal history. The suspect was incarcerated in Lyon County at some point, but it’s unknown what the circumstances of that arrest were, Broadway said.
At the incident, deputies evacuated the woman and three children, ages 8-13, and Sheriff Ken Furlong said he doesn’t know where they went, but they were no longer in Carson City.
A funeral service for Howell, 35, is 11 a.m. Thursday at the Reno Events Center, 400 North Center St. The public is invited.
Howell started with the sheriff’s office on March 13, 2006. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was assigned with the CCSO to Court Services. He was on temporary assignment to Operations Patrol Division.
Howell, a Lyon County resident, is survived by his wife, Rachel, and their four children ages 7-12.
Multiple organizations are collecting donations to support Howell’s family. To donate to the Lyon County’s GoFundMe visit http://www.gofundme.com/e6232gyw.
The Carson City Deputy Sheriff’s Association has also set up a donation account at the Heritage Bank of Nevada, called the Carl Howell Memorial Fund, account number 2000012522.