LAS VEGAS (KSNV MyNews3) -- Neither the police officer involved in the shooting of unarmed local veteran Stanley Gibson, nor his widow Rondha, will attend this morning's review of Gibson's shooting.
Rondha Gibson, in a statement from her attorney, says that the new review process is nothing but a publicity stunt, and the process itself is a joke.
The new process replaces the previous coroner's inquests, which were eliminated because many say that process was unfair.
The new process has been taken out of the judicial setting and does not require officers involved in fatalities to attend. Instead, the process is pared down to three key people: a hearing officer presiding over the proceedings, a prosecutor from the district attorney's office who will present the facts of the case and call witnesses, and an ombudsman representing the interest of the family and the public.
The ombudsman is allowed to question witnesses but is not allowed to call any of his or her own witnesses.
Officer Jesus Arevalo,
who shot the unarmed Gibson while Gibson was pinned in his car, declined to attend out of concern that what he says during the review can be used against him in a court of law down the road.
A grand jury declined to indict Arevalo when evidence was presented in a hearing that was closed to both the public and to Gibson's family.
Gibson's family says they do not expect to get any of the answers they've been seeking out of this hearing today. They say they want someone to be held responsible for the shooting, and the next step for them, if they are not satisfied with the results of the hearing today, is to seek some of those answers through a civil lawsuit filed by Stanley Gibson's mother, against some of the Metro officers and others involved in this case.
