Henry Prendes

A Las Vegas native born and raised, Sergeant Henry Prendes was a man deeply committed to his family, his faith, and the community he swore to protect. Born on December 31, 1968, Henry was a natural leader and athlete who graduated from Las Vegas High School in 1987, where he had been co-captain of the varsity football team and a member of the student council. He joined the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in February 1991, embarking on a distinguished 14-year career. Colleagues described the 37-year-old White male as loyal, highly regarded, and always willing to go above and beyond. He served as a patrol officer, a field training officer, a narcotics detective, and finally as a sergeant in the Crimes against Youth and Family unit before moving to the South West Area Command.

Henry was a devoted Christian who carried his Bible in his patrol car, often sharing scripture with those he met. He was a loving father to two daughters, Kylee and Brooke, and a husband to his wife, Dawn. His daughter Brooke remembered him as her best friend, with whom she shared everything from hunting to golfing. An avid outdoorsman, Henry loved to fish, camp, and travel. This passion fueled a dream he was actively pursuing with his family: they had land in escrow in Montana to build a youth camp where children could learn valuable skills. He was, as one congressman later noted, not just a man who helped people because he was a police officer, but a man who became a police officer so he could help people.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, February 1, 2006, Sgt. Prendes was on duty when a series of frantic 911 calls came in from a home in a southwest Las Vegas neighborhood. The callers reported a violent domestic disturbance on the 8600 block of Placid Street, stating that a man was beating a woman with a stick and destroying property. Sgt. Prendes was one of the first officers to respond to the chaotic scene. Upon arrival, police located the female victim along with her mother and brother, who had managed to escape the house. The assailant, however, had barricaded himself inside.

Sgt. Prendes, leading his squad, began to approach the front of the single-story home to assess the situation and make contact with the suspect. As he cautiously neared the front door, he was ambushed. The man inside, identified as 21-year-old Amir Rashid Crump, opened fire through the door with a high-powered SKS assault rifle. Sgt. Prendes was struck by the gunfire and collapsed onto the sidewalk. Crump, an aspiring rapper, then unleashed a barrage of approximately 50 rounds, pinning down the other officers and preventing them from reaching their fallen sergeant.

As the intense firefight continued, Crump moved to an upstairs window and continued shooting at the officers below. The hail of gunfire made any rescue attempt impossible. Another officer who had responded to the call, Officer Arthur Sewall of the Gang Unit, managed to maneuver into a position where he could return fire. Despite being wounded in the leg during the exchange, Officer Sewall successfully shot and killed Crump, ending the violent assault. Tragically, it was too late for Sgt. Henry Prendes, who succumbed to his injuries at the scene. He was the first Las Vegas police officer to be killed in the line of duty in 17 years.

The loss of Sgt. Prendes sent a shockwave of grief through the Las Vegas community and his department. "This man gave his life and left behind a beautiful family while protecting a complete stranger," LVMPD Undersheriff Andrew Walsh later said. "That should resonate with people." His former captain, Mark Tavarez, remembered him as a good man who "lived as part of something bigger than himself… a protector of the community." The case was considered closed as the perpetrator was killed at the scene, but the work of honoring Henry’s memory was just beginning.

In the wake of his death, Henry's wife, Dawn, made a courageous decision. Instead of abandoning their dream of a youth camp, she brought it home to Nevada to serve the community Henry loved. The project became Henry's Place Camp and Retreat Center, a lasting tribute to his desire to help children. His legacy of service continues to be honored years later. In May 2024, at the suggestion of his daughter Brooke, the city renamed Hidden Palms Park in the Silverado Ranch area as Sergeant Henry Prendes Park. "It means the world to me and my sister to have a park named after him," Brooke said. "Now we have a place for his grandkids to go." The park stands as a permanent reminder of a hometown hero who made the ultimate sacrifice.