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The police force of Albuquerque, New Mexico has been involved in a number of shooting incidents and has used other forms of force, many of these involving the use of SWAT teams. The city's police department was the subject of a Department of Justice Investigation in 2014 which found that the department "engages in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, including deadly force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment".[1] The report also stated that the department suffered from "structural and systemic deficiencies-including insufficient oversight, inadequate training, and ineffective policies".[1]
| Date | Officer name(s) | Suspect name(s) | Outcome | Notes | Officer Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22, 2004 | Sean Wallace | Leo Lopez | Lopez killed | shot during traffic stop after officer feared vehicle threat during heroin investigation[2][3] | Acquitted [2] | |
| June 5, 2007 | Russell Carter | Jay Martin Murphy | Murphy killed |
| ||
| November 6, 2009 | Brandon Carr | Roderick Jones | Jones killed | Carr fired 18 months later[5] | ||
| January 9, 2010 | Andrew Cooke | Aaron Renfro | Renfro killed |
|
Cooke cleared by grand jury[6] | |
| January 13, 2010 | Brett Lampiris-Tremba | Kenneth Ellis III[7] | Ellis killed |
|
| |
| January 29, 2010 | Sean Wallace | Wayne Cordova | Cordova killed | Cordova suspected of fleeing after possibly stealing a car | ||
| March 4, 2010 | Roger Legendre | Jose Castillo, Tanya Martinez, Raymond Carillo[10] |
Castillo charged with assaulting a police officer | *police shot at car after beer shoplifting incident, Giant gas station, Coors, and Quail *Castillo driving |
Legendre was later promoted to sergeant[11] | |
| March 29, 2010 | Kevin Sanchez | Mickey Owings[12] | Owings killed | *Sanchez shot at moving vehicle in Walmart parking lot, I-40 and Quail *pregnant female in Owings vehicle unharmed *40+ witnesses |
*The city's independent review officer ruled the shooting was justified[13] *The DoJ used this shooting as an example of "Albuquerque police officers' own recklessness" leading to use of violence[13] *wrongful death lawsuit filed[14] | |
| April 14, 2010 | Zach Stephenson | Benjamin Marquez | Marquez shot 3-4 times in upper body | *Marquez smoking a cigarette while pumping gas at Broadway and Gibson | ||
| June 10, 2010 | Eric Brown, Anthony Sedler |
Chris Hinz Northeast Heights near Juan Tabo Boulevard and Spain Avenue |
Hinz killed | *Hinz intoxicated at home *Police said he was firing his weapon inside his home[15] |
*Sedler later shoots Parrish Dennison | |
| June 14, 2010 | Aaron Zwicky | Julian Calbert | Calbert killed |
|
A grand jury found the shooting justified[17] | |
| July 27, 2010 | Jeremy Hollier, Anthony Glodon |
Len Fuentes, a diagnosed schizophrenic, was reportedly unable to access treatment[18] | Fuentes killed 3400 block Crest SE |
*domestic violence call[19] |
Hollier arrested in 2012 for felony domestic violence, still with APD[20] | |
| August 17, 2010 | Josh Brown | Enrique Carrasco | Carrasco shot at Montgomery and San Mateo after slashing his girlfriend's tires | Carrasco jumped on Brown's hood and repeatedly stabbed officer's driver-side window with a knife and broke it, then tried to open the door, said Public Safety Director Darren White | ||
| September 14, 2010 | Leah Kelly | Chandler Barr | Barr hospitalized, survived being shot, 2nd and Central | Police called because Barr was cutting his arm with a "butter knife" *Kelly was smoking a cigar as she pulled trigger |
Barr filed suit for $340,000 in medical bills and pain and suffering[21] A federal jury found no liability.[22] | |
| October 19, 2010 | Drew Bader, Ramon Ornelas |
Daniel Gonzales | Tucumcari police asked NM State Police for help, State Police call in Albuquerque SWAT | *came to door with two rifles | APD SWAT officers cleared[24] | |
| October 31, 2010 | David Sprague | Alexei Sinkevitch 6500 block of Tierra Prieta NW |
911 reports of hit-and-runs on Estrella Brillante NW Callers took plate Police traced to Sinkevitch |
*Sinkevitch had rifle *Sinkevitch bled to death on floor of his home[25] |
||
| November 11, 2010 | Brian Pitzer, Doug Moore | Russell Tenorio 1400 block Alamo SE |
Tenorio survived, in hospital 2½ months, lost a kidney. | Tenorio had fetal alcohol symptom, was threatening to hurt himself[26] | *Pitzer announced he was "going lethal" before entering the home[26] *federal lawsuit[27] | |
| February 9, 2011 | Byron "Trey" Economidy (Detective) | Jacob Mitschelen | Mitschelen killed | *traffic stop[28] | *wrongful death lawsuit settled for $300,000[28] | |
| April 12, 2011 | Christopher J. Brown | Christopher Torres | Torres shot in his parents' back yard | father says police used a battering ram to enter the house even though he was present and offered to let them in[29] | Jury award over $10 million, later settled for $6 million +[30] | |
| May 10, 2011 | Sean Wallace | Alan Gomez[31] | *Gomez killed while holding spoon *wrongful death suit settled in December 2013 for $900,000[32] |
*"the officer shot Gomez without verifying a threat, and after receiving information that Gomez could not have been a threat because he was no longer armed."[33] | *earlier wrongful death suit settled for $235,000 *Wallace first shot a civilian on September 22, 2004 in Chimayó when he was an NMSP narcotics agent; tort claim notice filed late December 2004[34]*Shot and killed second civilian January 29, 2010.[35] | |
| June 4, 2011 | Troy Nikko, William Thomas, Michael Oates[36] | Raymond Garcia | *Garcia killed Lomas and Palomas[37] *officers pinned his car in near a chainlink fence in front of Cross Country Auto Sales[38] |
*Garcia caught carjacking | ||
| June 26, 2011 | Damian Lujan | Orlando Paisano | Paisano tased, shot eight times, Bell and Dallas SE[39] | Paisano holding bayonet, police say[39] | ||
| August 30, 2011 | Jim Perdue | Michael Marquez | Marquez shot in field, 60th and Central | Michael Marquez an armed robbery suspect | *District Attorney ruled shooting justified *First shooting under new system[40] | |
| January 4, 2012 | Mario Perez | Mark Macoldowna, James Kellogg,[41] Kymberly Bates |
Macoldowna killed, Bates and Kellogg arrested | armed robbery of St. Pius X complex | ||
| March 19, 2012 | Martin Smith | Daniel Tillison Marquette and Texas |
Tillison killed[4] | wrongful death lawsuit alleges Smith PTSD-diagnosed and APD knew it[42] | DA found no probable cause for charges[43] | |
| March 21, 2012 | Russ Carter | Gary Atencio | Atencio shot on Laguna Pueblo after pursuit | Carter's 3rd shooting[4] | wrongful death lawsuit dismissed[44] | |
| April 19, 2012 | Mike Hill | Dennis Aragon | Aragon shot three times but was expected to survive | police say Aragon fired shots in the air then pointed rifle at police | ||
| August 6, 2012 | Jason Peck (APD sgt) | Dominick Solis-Mora[45] | Solis-Mora shot in stomach then recovered | Solis-Mora said to sell $240 worth of meth to undercover Peck | DA and APD Internal Affairs clear Peck of wrongdoing *Solis-Mara subsequently involved a number of other criminal incidents | |
| March 5, 2013 | Perdue, Sedler and Aragon |
Parrish Dennison | Dennison killed Menaul and Louisiana | Dennison driver of woman trying to sell stolen banjo[46] | *Sedler had previously shot Chris Hinz[47] *Sedler cleared of wrongdoing[48] | |
| March 19, 2013 | APD | Kendall Carroll 13000 block Constitution |
killed by State Police, APD also fired |
Carroll had previously shot and wounded a police officer[49] | ||
| July 5, 2013 | Jeff Bludworth, Katherine Wright |
Vincent Wood | convenience store Montgomery and San Mateo | *previously transported to mental health | *shooting ruled justified *Wrongful death lawsuit settled for $55,000[50] | |
| October 26, 2013 | Officer Luke McPeek and others |
Christopher Chase[51] | Chase killed | Chase had "cop killer" tattooed on his knuckles[52] | award ceremony[53] | |
| October 28, 2013 | Brian Pitzer | Joaquin Ortega shot Jefferson and Central[54] | Ortega hospitalized then jailed on charges of robbery and carjacking | *Prosecutors found no probable cause to charge Pitzer[55] *Pitzer involved in two prior shootings, neither fatal[56] | ||
| November 15, 2013 | Peter Romero | Robert Garcia, Sr. | *Garcia shot but survived, received 3-year sentence *traffic stop, San Mateo Carlisle |
*Garcia had rifle, had been drinking *later admitted he had attempted suicide to a cop |
Garcia apologized to Romero | |
| December 1, 2013 | Luke McPeek, David Munoz and Jim Edison |
Shane Sherrill | Sherrill had felony warrants, holding brake pad |
No charges filed against police[57] | ||
| December 8, 2013 | Hector Marquez, Nathan Cadroy-Croteau |
Andy Snider | Snider killed | Snider said to charge officers with hammer[58] | Wrongful death lawsuit filed 2015[59] *Both officers still on active duty | |
| January 9, 2014 | Russell Carter (Detective) | Jeremy Robertson's tires, Walgreens in Rio Rancho | *Robertson uninjured[60] *Robertson charged with fleeing, assaulting officer/[60] |
*Robertson wanted for parole violations | *both Sedler and Ornelas on SWAT team *Sedler's 2nd shooting, Ornelas' 3rd[47] | |
| March 16, 2014 | Keith Sandy (Detective), Officer Dominique Perez |
James Boyd | Boyd killed | *camping without a permit *displaying knife to officers who tried to frisk him |
*Both charged with open count of murder | |
| March 25, 2014 | James Eichel | Alfred Redwine | Redwine killed | Redwine was upset because he had just lost custody of his 5yo son | ||
| April 21, 2014 | Jeremy Dear | Mary Hawkes | Hawkes killed | Hawkes suspected of having been in a stolen car *Car's owner later told police Hawkes had dated his room-mate[61] |
*Police claim 5 body cameras malfunctioned[62] *Dear fired for repeatedly not turning on his camera, particularly in use of force incidents. *Dear appeals firing and is reinstated. City appeals his reinstatement.[63] *Family files wrongful death lawsuit.[64] | |
| May 3, 2014 | Daniel Hughes | Armand Martin | Martin killed in his Ventana Ranch home[65] | Martin suffered from depression, "just went crazy," wife said.[66] Martin ran out of his home while discharging his handgun. | DA and APD Internal Affairs clear Hughes of wrongdoing[67] | |
| May 22, 2014 | Ryan Graves, Brian Fuchs |
Ralph Chavez | Chavez killed, 2nd at I-40 |
|
DA declined to press charges[68] | |
| January 9, 2015 | Greg Brachle | Jacob Grant (APD detective)[69] | Friendly fire incident, Jacob was working undercover and the other cops thought that he was a criminal. The criminal complaint describes a meth purchase. Charges were filed against Damian Bailey and Edmond Vester for trafficking cocaine, and conspiracy to commit trafficking[70] | Officer Brachle's 2nd shooting Grant will need medical for the rest of his life, settled lawsuit for $6.5 million and medical expenses |
police oversight board recommended firing but Brachle had already retired "APD said since that shooting, the department has improved supervision, training and equipment for undercover officers. In addition, it is now mandatory to attend all briefings before each operation.[71] [72] | |
| May 29, 2016 | unknown | Dennis Humphrey[73] | Humphrey shot in his garage Morningside and Goodrich[73] |
911 call reported he was drunk and walking around outside his house with a rifle[74] | ||
| July 3, 2019 | One Albuquerque detective[75] | Unidentified man[75] | Unidentified man killed in apparent shootout with detective[75] | |||
| August 22, 2019 | Paul Durham, Kyle King and Randy Serrano, accompanied by two other officers | Roger Schafer[76] | Schafer shot at a bus stop at Eubank and Copper NE | "Multiple 911 calls" reported Schafer was tossing a gun from hand to hand, "pulling the action back" and pointing the gun at traffic. It was a BB gun.[76] | ||
| October 14, 2019 | APD and SWAT[77] | Daniel James Wood[77] | Wood killed[77] | |||
| October 25, 2019 | At least three officers[78] | Unidentified man[78] | Unidentified man killed after confronted by officers accusing him of attempted carjacking[78] | |||
| January 6, 2020 | Two Albuquerque detectives[79] | Orlando Abeyta[80] | Abeyta killed[80] | |||
| March 30, 2020 | Joseph Bush, Edgar Sandoval[81] | Valente Acosta-Bustillos[81] | Acosa-Bustillos killed[81] | |||
| August 11, 2020 | Unknown APD officers | Ken Reiss | Reiss killed | Reiss had called 911 to report multiple people breaking into his house. When police arrived, they saw a man running in the alleyway. They say he shot at them. They fired multiple times according to neighbors. As Reiss lay screaming they shot four more times according to neighbors, then the screaming stopped.[82] According to body camera footage released by the police, Reiss was indeed holding a gun but the footage does not show him shooting at the police.
-second police shooting resulting in death in less than 6 hours | ||
| August 28, 2022 | Dustin Ketchum, Marcos Flores, Kenneth Skeens | Keshawn Thomas | Thomas killed | Thomas had been sleeping in his vehicle which was parked at a gas station. A passer-by called for a welfare check, as the vehicle had not moved for several hours. APD officers made contact with Thomas, the sole occupant of the vehicle. They questioned Thomas, was was intoxicated, outside of his vehicle. During questioning Thomas mentioned to them he had a firearm in the vehicle. They allowed him to return to his vehicle in order to retrieve his cellphone. Officers claim that he then pointed a firearm at them, causing them to open fire on Thomas. Thomas was transported to a local trauma center where he later died.[83][84] | The officers involved received verbal and written reprimands, Skeens was fired due to a matter unrelated to this case |
| Date | Officer name(s) | Citizen name(s) | Outcome | Notes | Officer Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2012 | Aaron Zwicky | Patrick Dennison Coors and Central |
|
Zwicky previously shot Julian Calbert in 2010 | |
| February 5, 2015 | SWAT | Nicholas Leyba, Moon and Indian School |
minor injuries, charged with kidnapping, criminal sexual penetration | ||
| April 7, 2015 | SWAT | Dustin Goodwin 1400 blk Pennsylvania |
arrested | domestic violence suspect
| |
| April 14, 2015 | SWAT | Marquette and Pennsylvania |
hospitalized with dog bites (Lex) | charged wth domestic violence, burglary while fleeing[86] | |
| April 22, 2015 | BCSO SWAT | Michael Quevedo, 800 block Dolly (off La Vega) |
arrested | warrants, domestic violence, felon with firearm | SWAT because "info the detective had and his history"[87] |
| May 10, 2015 | SWAT | 1800 block Hiawatha NE |
arrested | 15-hour standoff, man hiding in television cabinet | domestic violence |
| October 1, 2015 | monitor: officers kneed suspect in head, report does not match video | ||||
| November 10, 2015 | SWAT | Bell/Pennsylvania | arrested | search warrant, man refused to leave apartment | felony warrants |
| December 22, 2015 | Andrew Quillman, Shawna Romero also present[90] | José Rodriguez,[91] Central/Utah |
killed | attempted carjacking, could not drive shift[90][92] | |
| May 24, 2016 | APD and US Marshalls |
Mario Montoya nr Central/Western Skies |
Montoya's wife arrested for harboring a fugitive[93] | Montoya supposed to be at a halfway house | |
| June 19, 2016 | SWAT | Lomas/Juan Tabo | arrested | "man was not cooperating with officers' requests to come out of a vehicle"[94] | |
| September 30, 2016 | Rodney Locke[95] | killed Kay Moss-Freese, woman in wheelchair | Locke quit APD February 2016 | Locke arrested | |
| October 22, 2016 | Michael David Pacheco, Walgreens Coors/Central[96] |
arrested | shots fired at Walgreens miss, Pacheco flees; officer-caused accident at 64th/Churchill |
They had already shot him, killed him and removed him from the scene, he continues. I offered to let them in the house … but they wanted to use their toys." Torres claimed the ensuing "circus" was simply a way to cover up their mistake. "I think what they were doing was hoping to find drugs or contraband, something to justify what they had done," he says
"It is clear, undisputed, material fact that she was running away from Officer Dear when he shot her and she was collapsing to the ground when he fatally shot her," said attorney Shannon Kennedy. The suit also goes on to say that at some point after Dear was reassigned to different duties, he allegedly told a man the reason he was on that detail was because he shot that "f---ing b----" – referring to Hawkes.
