Moment a Las Vegas man launched brutal hammer attack on a mannequin that had been set up by cops to catch a killer who has been targeting homeless people

  • Shane Schindler was arrested and charged with attempted murder in February 
  • Video released Wednesday shows him attack a mannequin with a hammer
  • Police believe that he thought the dummy was a homeless man when attacking
  • They set up the decoy to catch the person who murdered two homeless men
  • Schindler faces a jury trial in August related to the dummy-related charge 

By Abigail Miller For Dailymail.com

Published: 10:26 EST, 18 May 2017 | Updated: 16:59 EST, 18 May 2017

Shane Schindler has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the attack

Shane Schindler has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the attack

Police surveillance video released Wednesday shows the moment that a Las Vegas man attacked a mannequin with a hammer, allegedly believing it to be a homeless person. 

Shane Schindler has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the attack. 

Las Vegas staged the dummy in February to look like a sleeping homeless man in hopes of catching the person who had killed two middle-aged homeless men.  

The decoy was tucked away under  a floral blanked and wearing black boots and a hooded sweatshirt.

The video from February 22 was taken from a camera mounted on a traffic signal pole. 

Footage shows Schindler appear to pull a small sledge hammer from a white plastic Little Caesars Pizza bag and take two quick steps towards the head of the dummy. 

He then, somewhat apprehensively, takes two swings at the dummy, then slowly walks away before being stopped by police officers. 

'Mannequins are made of rubber,' homicide detective Dan Long explained to a jury regarding why Schindler didn't continue to attack. 'It's going to react differently'. 

In an interview with detectives, Schindler explained that he knew he wasn't attacking a human being, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 

'He told us he was walking along in the area, he saw a dummy,' Long testified. 'He knew it was a dummy because it wasn't breathing, and it wasn't moving, and he thought it was funny so he kicked it.' 

Footage shows Schindler appear to pull a small sledge hammer from a white plastic Little Caesars Pizza bag and take two quick steps towards the head of the dummy

Footage shows Schindler appear to pull a small sledge hammer from a white plastic Little Caesars Pizza bag and take two quick steps towards the head of the dummy

 He then takes two large and powerful-looking swings towards the head of the mannequin

 He then takes two large and powerful-looking swings towards the head of the mannequin

Defense attorney Ashley Sisloak said that she is reviewing all of the collected information, and said that, based on what she has read, there is no evidence to show that he was lying to police. 

Schindler has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and carrying a concealed weapon, reported the Review-Journal. 

However, the video clearly shows that Schindler does not kick the mannequin, despite his denial in hitting it with a hammer.  

Schindler has also told police that he slept on the streets and in parking lots, with no sleeping bag, bed roll or blanket. Detectives, however, said that Schindler was wearing 'extremely clean' black athletic shoes, and that his hands were 'meticulous.' 

He told detectives he bought the hammer from a homeless man for three dollars in downtown Las Vegas. 

He then slowly walks away from the dummy, seeming to realize that it is not a real person 

He then slowly walks away from the dummy, seeming to realize that it is not a real person 

As he is walking away towards the street, footage shows police arrive and Shindler putting down his hood and putting his hands up

As he is walking away towards the street, footage shows police arrive and Shindler putting down his hood and putting his hands up

The man was booked into jail, but later released. Police set up a surveillance team which followed him to the Henderson Motel following his release.

When they got there, they searched his room, and found a receipt for a hammer that had been returned to Harbor Freight, and confiscated a second hammer, reported the Review-Journal. 

They also confiscated his cellphone, and on it saw two selfies of Schindler laying on his back near where the two murder victims, Daniel Adalpe and David Dunn were found dead of head trauma. 

Daniel Adalpe, 46
David Dunn, 60

Daniel Aldape and David Dunn, left to right, were bludgeoned to death within a month of each other earlier this year

Aldape, 46, and Dunn, 60, were bludgeoned to death within a month of each other earlier this year.

Both had suffered apparent head trauma on the same intersection at City and Grand Central parkways in Las Vegas.

Schindler faces a jury trial in August related to the dummy-related charge.  

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