Henderson approves $275,000 in Hawatmeh Shootout settlement
City of Henderson officials agreed to pay $275,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by Iehab Hawatmeh over the 2020 police shootout that killed his 12-year-old son, Joseph Hawatmeh. The settlement addresses civil claims tied to the Nov. 3, 2020 incident at The Douglas at Stonelake apartment complex near the 215 and Stephanie Street.
The settlement documents say the payment is not an admission of misconduct on behalf of any officer but is made to avoid the costs of extensive litigation and trial. The agreement closes one legal track in a case that also involved the deaths of Dianne Hawatmeh and Veronica Hawatmeh, and the paralysis of Yasmeen Hawatmeh.
Iehab Hawatmeh lawsuit
Iehab Hawatmeh filed the lawsuit after the family’s encounter with Jason Bourne escalated at the apartment complex. The suit says Dianne Hawatmeh had previously complained to management about noise from an upstairs neighbor later identified as Bourne.
According to the lawsuit, Bourne motioned for Dianne Hawatmeh to stop her vehicle before the shooting began. It says he then burst into the apartment after Dianne and her daughter Yasmeen entered and opened fire, killing Dianne and Veronica Hawatmeh and shooting Yasmeen eight times.
Nov. 3, 2020 incident
The lawsuit says Bourne took Joseph Hawatmeh to the parking lot as a hostage to ensure his safety and escape. Several neighbors called 911, and Bourne spoke with Henderson police dispatchers for approximately 25 minutes while at least 16 police officers surrounded the Escalade.
The suit says a single shot sounded about 17 minutes into Bourne's 911 call and Joseph was heard screaming. Joseph was shot three times and later died from his injuries.
Henderson police response
Henderson police said Bourne refused to comply with requests from officers on scene or dispatchers. About a month after the incident, Lt. John Plunkett said, “Officers continued to engage Bourne in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, at which point shots were fired, resulting in an officer-involved shooting,” and later said, “Once the threat was neutralized, officers removed both males from the vehicle and immediately began life-saving measures. Bourne was determined to be deceased at the scene. Officers were unable to rescue the juvenile before he succumbed to the injuries inflicted by Bourne.”
The Clark County District Attorney's Office did not bring charges against the officers involved. With the settlement now in place, the city has resolved the civil case without accepting fault, while the family’s account of how Joseph died remains the basis for the lawsuit’s allegations.
