UPDATE: Valles was found by the Washoe County District Attorney to have not violated use-of-force policies. The DA determined that, “based on the available evidence and the applicable legal authorities, the shooting … by Sergeant Valles has been deemed a legal use of force under Nevada law, as set forth by the Nevada Revised Statutes. As such, no criminal prosecution against Sergeant Valles may proceed.”
Former Reno Police Sergeant Carlos Valles was demoted after he shot at a fleeing vehicle in the fall of 2021.
Shooting into vehicles is “generally prohibited” by RPD’s use-of-force policies.
“Discharging a firearm at or from a moving vehicle is generally prohibited and may only be used under the most extreme circumstances,” the policy states.
Police officials said at the time a suspect was “prowling.” Home security camera footage shows the suspect knocking on the door of a home near Idlewild Park in the afternoon and again in the evening.
When officers located the suspect that night, he refused to roll down his window during a traffic stop.
Valles tried to break his car window “believing the suspect may have committed a crime at the reporting party’s residence,” according to RPD Deputy Chief Oliver Miller.
Valles was allegedly dragged by the suspect’s vehicle about 300 feet after reaching into the crack of the window after the window failed to shatter. He repeatedly ordered the suspect to stop. Once free, the sergeant shot three times into the rear of the vehicle as it fled.
The suspect was later found with a gunshot wound at Virginia Lake.
City Manager Doug Thornley said Valles did not follow policies.
“He failed to comply with our policies for the discharge of a weapon,” he told This Is Reno.
Former Police Chief Jason Soto and command staff approved the demotion from sergeant to officer in lieu of being fired. Valles was on paid leave pending investigation.
Suspect missing, Sheriff’s Office denies records request
At the time of the incident, RPD’s spokesperson said all questions about the shooting should be directed to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.
WCSO’s then-public information officer Sarah Johns would not respond to any questions about the incident, including who the suspect was and what charges he was facing, details that are public information.
WCSO last week denied a records order seeking a copy of its report on the shooting, which has been forwarded to the Washoe County District Attorney’s office. The DA’s office said to request the records through WCSO.
Law enforcement agencies typically refuse all public records requests for investigations that are not completed. WCSO, however, has completed its review of the incident and denied the request for information anyway.
“The District Attorney will release a final determination of facts in this case,” Sheriff’s Sgt. West Urban wrote in an email. “I’m not comfortable releasing anything until their investigation is complete.”
Michelle Bays with the DA’s office, said the suspect in the case is missing, so a final report on the incident has not been completed.
“In cases where there is a related criminal prosecution, the OIS review takes place after that process has completed,” she said. “In this case, the Sheriff’s Office submitted a warrant request last fall and the suspect is still outstanding.”
Because the suspect is missing, and an arrest has not been made, there is no final report. The suspect is facing misdemeanor charges.
“Due to this delay, we are evaluating whether we can begin that review before an arrest is made,” Bays added. “The concern is in avoiding an ethical violation of making extra-judicial comments about an offender before any trial were to take place. As in all [officer shooting] cases, once completed, the final report will be released to the public.”
Update: This story was updated to indicate the suspect is facing misdemeanor charges. It was also updated to reflect that Valles was found to have acted lawfully when shooting at the suspect’s vehicle.