Despite a drop in violent crime in 2024, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office experienced two officer-involved shootings last year, and Sheriff Ken Furlong talked to the Appeal about the toll such events can take.
Investigations conducted by outside agencies are still ongoing for both incidents. The first was the Aug. 28 officer-involved shooting of 43-year-old Juan Herrea Mejorado, who allegedly stabbed his wife and himself before officers responded to a residence off Koontz Lane. The second incident was the New Year’s Eve shooting during which 64-year-old Michael Bright was shot and killed by officers on Old Clear Creek Road after an armed confrontation.
In the first incident, two officers were placed on administrative leave, and in the latest incident, seven officers were placed on administrative leave, as is standard protocol. What connects the two events? The sheriff said both incidents started as domestic disputes.
“In my 20 years, I can tell you that of all our most serious events, they’re all domestic related. You got to put it in its context. Very often alcohol is involved…high emotions, real challenges on scene,” he said.
Furlong wouldn’t comment on the ongoing investigations into the shootings but maintained such tragedies can be avoided. He said cooperation with law enforcement is important and that officers arrive on scene wanting to help, “and help begins with stopping the violence.”
Officers involved in shootings are, at the onset, placed on 72 hours of administrative leave in conjunction with regular time off, Furlong said. They must receive a wellness check including mental health before returning to duty. Every officer, whether involved in a shooting or not, must receive such a check at least annually. And officers in critical incidents are monitored by their supervisors for signs of mental struggles, even months afterward.
“We have wellness programs already in place, and that’s physical fitness and mental health as well as annual required physicals,” Furlong said. “In this case, following the shooting, the first thing that happens are peer group debriefings, and those are basically confidential briefings. They’re held by clinicians and mental health providers and clergy.”
Furlong emphasized what he called the potential “PTSD of continuously battling violent crime.”
“It’s one thing to talk about a shooting such as we had. It’s another thing to have been involved,” he said. “The taking of someone’s life can have a very, very detrimental impact on your mental health.”
One good thing about Carson City, the sheriff said, is “peers support one another.”