ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Albuquerque police said a man died Saturday after an officer fired shots at him during a long SWAT standoff.
The shooting comes with police facing pending U.S. Justice Department reforms over excessive force.
Deputy Chief Eric Garcia told reporters that the man died at an Albuquerque home after the man walked out of the home and fired handguns. “At 6:16 p.m. the suspect exited the house and fired shots from two handguns. An APD officer discharged his weapon at that time. The subject is deceased,” Garcia said.
He did not say if the man died from gunshot wounds.
Authorities did not release any information on the suspect nor the name of the officer who fired.
According to police, the man barricaded himself inside his house following a domestic dispute. Authorities said the man contacted local media outlets during the nearly eight-hour standoff and police asked reporters not to take the man’s calls over fears the interaction may interfere with negotiations for him to surrender.
Police said the suspect repeatedly refused to follow police orders, and at least one certified crisis-intervention officer was on scene.
This is the second police shooting since the U.S. Justice Department released a scathing report on Albuquerque police over its use of force. Albuquerque police have shot nearly 40 people since 2010.
Tension over the department’s use of force escalated last month after police shot and killed a homeless camper in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains during a long standoff. Video from an officer’s helmet showed police fired on the man, James Boyd, 38, as he appeared to be preparing to surrender. Just over a week later, police shot and killed Alfred Redwine, 30, after a standoff.
Two weeks ago, a 19-year-old woman suspected of stealing a truck was shot and killed by an officer during a chase with Albuquerque police.
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