In the pre-dawn hours of August 15, 2015, in Carson City, Nevada, the life of 35-year-old Carl G. Howell, a White/Caucasian male, was cut tragically short. A nine-year veteran of the Carson City Sheriff's Office and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Howell was responding to a domestic battery call on Montez Drive at approximately 2:20 a.m. a call that would prove to be his last.
The initial report indicated a woman had been injured, and upon arrival, deputies found her in front of the residence.
As his fellow officers tended to the injured woman, Howell approached the front door of the home to make contact with the male subject inside. Without warning, he was ambushed and mortally wounded by a man identified as 30-year-old Jonathon Pope. Despite his grievous injuries, Deputy Howell managed to return fire, striking Pope. Howell was rushed to Carson Tahoe Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. Pope was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation that followed, led by the Reno Police Department, pieced together the chaotic moments of that morning. Neighbors had called the police after hearing a disturbance. Howell was the first officer to arrive and speak with Pope's girlfriend outside the house. As Howell approached the residence, Pope, armed with a. 357 Magnum revolver, opened fire. While the investigation could not definitively determine who fired the first shot, eyewitnesses reported that Pope fired multiple rounds at Howell before the deputy was able to respond. The exchange of gunfire resulted in the deaths of both men. Inside the home at the time were three children and another adult, who were all safely evacuated. In the wake of the tragedy, the Carson City District Attorney's office conducted a thorough review and ultimately concluded that Deputy Howell's actions were justifiable under Nevada law, a determination made after examining thousands of documents and dozens of witness interviews.
