Investigation finds 2021 fatal shooting of Richard Thomas by Reno detective justified
Report says suspect was shot while fleeing as a Reno police detective was hanging out his vehicle's passenger door in 2021 North Valleys incident.
Mark RobisonThe fatal 2021 shooting of a 41-year-old Reno man who was shot seven times by a police detective has been ruled justified under Nevada law by Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks in a report put out Friday.
It was about 16 months from the date of the shooting to the report being released.
The incident started with a tip to Secret Witness that Thomas had missed a court hearing and planned to flee the area.
Undercover detectives from the regional Repeat Offender Program, which focuses on habitual criminals, tracked down Thomas and followed him to the Golden Gate gas station at Golden Valley Road and U.S. Highway 395.
“During his attempt to flee, Thomas crashed into two ROP vehicles and ignored repeated commands to stop his vehicle,” a summary of the 36-page report said. “He was ultimately shot while continuing to ignore commands to stop and accelerating away from the scene while dragging a ROP detective along the roadway, endangering his life.”
The report includes gas station surveillance images of Thomas’ red Ford F-150 boxed in by detectives’ unmarked vehicles.
What happened
Here’s how the report describes what happened:
Sparks detective Kenny Fye had his gun drawn, opened the truck’s driver’s side door and grabbed Thomas’ left hand when he began to reach for something.
Thomas popped the vehicle into drive and hit the accelerator.
As this was happening, Reno detective Jeremy Catalano opened the passenger door.
Thomas’s truck crashed into Catalano’s van, trapping Fye inside the driver’s door.
Fye fired his gun into the driver’s side of the truck and became dislodged.
Thomas accelerated forward, pushing Catalano’s van out of the way and heading toward the on-ramp to U.S. 395 southbound – with Catalano hanging onto the truck partway inside the passenger side door.
“After warning Thomas that he would be shot if he did not stop the vehicle, Detective Catalano discharged his firearm numerous times from inside the cab of the truck,” the report said. “Detective Catalano then fell from the truck while it was still travelling, causing him to land on the pavement and suffer multiple injuries.”
Washoe County Sheriff’s Deputy Travis Bailey arrived on the scene about this time and “avoided running over Detective Catalano and continued pursuing Thomas.”
The truck drove over a median and stopped on an embankment. Bailey came upon Thomas lying on the ground. After life-saving measures were attempted, Thomas died.
An autopsy showed Thomas had eight penetrating gunshot wounds to his upper body, but two of them were believed to come from a single bullet.
Toxicology reports found amphetamine and methamphetamine in Thomas’ blood.
The report concludes that “the actions of Detective Jeremy Catalano were warranted and justified under Nevada law. Unless new circumstances come to light which contradict the factual foundation upon which this decision is made, the District Attorney’s review of this case is officially closed.”
The most recent officer-involved shooting in Reno happened Jan. 8 when a shootout left a Reno sergeant seriously wounded, one suspect dead and another wounded.
Such shootings cause the “Washoe County Regional Officer Involved Shooting Protocol” to be enacted where an agency different from the officer's is tasked with handling the investigation. At the investigation’s conclusion, such reports are turned over for review by the Washoe County DA’s office.
Mark Robison covers local government for the Reno Gazette Journal.