just two cops doing a drive-by

early morning shooting

In the early-morning hours of _____, 1996 a group of people were gathered outside an apartment building along a cul-de-sac about five minutes from the Strip for a party.  The group were enjoying drinks and company in a neighborhood known for a higher crime rate than usual, but as goes without saying most residents of the neighborhood were law-abiding citizens.

A blue pickup truck slowly rolled into the cul-de-sac a little after ___ a.m.  The largely crowd gathered outside the apartment building, largely Latino, remembers two white men sitting in the cab of the pickup as it came to a stop in the middle of the cul-de-sac.  There were a few seconds of silence before one of the men – the one wearing glasses – stuck his arm out the passenger side window with a .380 semiautomatic handgun.  Six shots rang out in the night air.  Then, as suddenly as it arrived, the blue pickup truck sped away.  There was a sound of laughter coming from the truck as it sped around the corner.

One of those six rounds found its way into the chest of 21-year-old Daniel Mendoza, striking him in the heart.Despite Mendoza’s friends best efforts to save him by performing CPR, he died before medical assistance could arrive to the scene.

two parties, one shooting, and competing stories

The murder case received its first solid lead within hours of the murder when one of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s own officers came forward to offer a break in the case.  Christopher Brady, a 25-year-old member of the force, revealed to investigators that he was present at the time of the murder.  What’s more, Brady could identify the person responsible for pulling the trigger that fired the bullet which killed Mendoza – fellow Metro police officer Ron Moretnsen. 

Metro waited four hours before taking Mortensen off of duty, a controversial decision given he was accused by a fellow officer of cold-blooded murder.  The story of what happened the night of ________ became clearer.  That night had been Mortensen’s thirty-first birthday and he had decided to celebrate the occasion with his friend Brady. 

At the same time Daniel Mendoza was celebrating with his friends, a different party was occurring across town.  Mortensen, his wife, Brady, and other friends went out for a night of hard drinking.  As the night wound down, Mortensen retrieved a handgun from his wife’s vehicle before parting ways with her.  Mortensen and Brady drove off in the blue pickup to continue the after concluding that driving around harassing “gang members” would be a fun way to round out the evening. 

Brady became the State’s star witness.He revealed that after their night of drinking, he and Mortensen drove through the city harassing groups of people they thought looked like gang members.The officers would insult people, then when it looked like it would escalate into a fight, the officers would brandish a gun and badge before driving off.

Brady meets justice

After the shooting on McKellar Circle, Brady thought they had given some thugs a good scare.  Later, when he realized an innocent man had been murdered, did he begin grappling with his actions.  The guilt was ultimately too much to bear. 

Or at least that’s what Brady claimed.Brady was eventually brought up on federal charges for violating Mendoza’s civil rights.Brady entered into a plea agreement in his federal case, agreeing to serve nine years in prison.

It should be noted that the events of ____, 1996 were not an isolated incident for him. Brady routinely went on what he called “marauding missions” when off-duty, terrorizing largely Latino neighborhoods in Las Vegas.

a criminal cop’s escapades continue behind bars

In 2008, Mortensen was involved in an outlandish plot to bribe the judge overseeing his appeal by “contributing” $100,000 to her campaign for the Nevada Supreme Court.