LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – An 18-year-old suspect charged with multiple felonies after reportedly detonating an explosive inside a Henderson church told police that he “thought it would be fun” to do so.
Caden Renard and his twin brother, Connor Renard, are each facing 16 charges, including possession of explosives and using explosives to damage or destroy property.
During their investigation, police learned of an incident on February 24 that went unreported. According to a Henderson Police Department report, a member of the church said two young men entered the church’s power breaker room, disabled the building power and lit a bottle rocket in a hallway. A witness said she chased them out of the building but did not report it to police.
According to a report, HPD officers responded to the church on March 5 after a reported explosion and found “an approximately 4″ by 4″ burn mark and outward burn pattern from the center of the area on the carpet.”
Police said the burns were consistent with those of a blast seat location, the area in which a blast takes place. Investigators found additional burn spotting and melting on the nearby ceiling and walls. Witnesses reported seeing a young man running away from the scene.
On March 27, four people were injured after another explosive detonated in the church’s gymnasium. Detectives from the Southern Nevada Counterterrorism Center, the LVMPD-FBI Joint Taskforce, LVMPD ARMOR section and other resources were dispatched to the scene. Henderson Fire and Rescue treated those who were injured in the blast.
Multiple witnesses saw a red sedan parked outside of regulated parking spaces on the east side of the church. They also described seeing a male aged 16-18 walking from the north entry doors of the building. Multiple injured victims also provided descriptions of the suspect.
Through a combination of witness statements and police databases, police identified the two suspects and determined that they were students at Basic High School.
Follow-up investigations resulted in witnesses providing video of the suspects, including footage of the sedan arriving at the church on March 27. It drove away approximately four minutes before the first 911 call to HPD dispatch.
Investigators authored a search warrant for the suspects and the vehicle while they were at school on April 10. They were interviewed separately.
According to the police report, Caden Renard initially denied any involvement during a nearly two-and-a-half-hour interview with police, saying that the only time he had contact with a bottle rocket was around the 4th of July. After being presented with what police called “overwhelming evidence,” he admitted to driving the car to the church and entering the building.
He claimed that someone else was carrying the mortar and a lighter when he “heard a crackling” and realized the explosive had been lit. He said they left the building in his car.
“When asked what his motivation was for doing this, Caden stated that he ‘thought it would be fun.’”
Henderson Police Department Declaration of Arrest, April 11
Police described Connor Renard as “visibly nervous” throughout most of his interview, to the point “where it was noticed his body was physically shaking.” He confirmed that he was present during the incident on March 27 but said that someone else threw the mortar into the gymnasium.
Connor said he quickly left the church after the explosion and has not returned since. The suspects were not members of the church and police said there were no further evident motives for the apparent crimes.
The suspects were arrested last week and have an appearance in Henderson Justice Court scheduled for May 13.
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