Albuquerque Officer-Involved Shooting Kills One; Two Officers Put On Administrative Leave

Update as of 2:39 a.m. EST: Celina Espinoza, a spokeswoman for the Albuquerque Police Department, said that two officers were put on administrative leave following the officer-involved shooting that killed a man.

Update as of 12:40 a.m. EST: Authorities said that an Albuquerque police officer had shot and killed a man Tuesday night while responding to a report of suspicious criminal activity, The Associated Press reported.

The incident reportedly took place after officers took one man into custody. A second man reportedly fled the scene but later fired shots at the officers. At least one officer returned fire, police reportedly said in a statement, adding that a weapon was found near the man’s body.

A police officer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, fired several shots Tuesday night at multiple suspects, local media reports said, but it was unclear if anyone was dead or injured. The officer-involved shooting comes just a day after a district attorney charged two police officers with the murder of a homeless man in March last year.

Police refused to reveal whether the shooting, which took place near Constitution Avenue and San Mateo Boulevard, was fatal. Authorities said that at least one suspect was taken into custody and no officer was injured in the incident. The Office of the Medical Investigator, which investigates untimely and violent deaths in New Mexico, was also at the scene, a local media report said. The incident also reportedly led to the partial closure of a street in the eastern part of the city while officers conducted an investigation.

“I heard 11 to 14 shots and heard screeching tires and sirens, so I knew something was happening,” Patrick Dowless, a local resident and an eyewitness, told Albuquerque Journal. “I went outside and saw lots of officers running towards a body and some running the other way. The officers were standing over the body but when the paramedics arrived they stood up right away.”

A handgun was spotted near the man’s left foot and it appeared that he had been injured, Albuquerque Journal reported.

The incident is the third case this year involving officers of the Albuquerque police department. Last week, Lt. Greg Brachle was reportedly shot and critically injured by a fellow officer during a drug raid. Authorities said, citing preliminary information, that both officers were working undercover and were in plain clothes when the shooting took place, The Associated Press reported.

Earlier this month, an Albuquerque police officer fired his weapon after he was shot and wounded during a traffic stop. The officer is currently in stable condition at a hospital. The suspect, who was not injured in the incident, is reportedly being held on attempted murder and other charges.