SF area sees another fatal police shooting
Jul. 8—Authorities say one person was killed following an officer-involved shooting Wednesday morning near the Tesuque Village Market in Santa Fe.
It was the second fatal shooting involving the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office in as many weeks and the fourth shooting in the Santa Fe area involving law enforcement in the same period. Three were fatal.
The latest shooting occurred after Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to a reported stabbing at 1 Entrada Capulin.
New Mexico State Police posted on Twitter that deputies were uninjured and the suspect was dead.
A resident said he was feeding his horses when he saw officers from multiple agencies speeding to a nearby house around 8:30 a.m. Another woman, visiting family in the area, said there was a "commotion" at a neighbor's residence before gunshots rang out.
State police is investigating and a spokesperson said as more information becomes available, the agency would "get it out."
"The number of shootings in a short period of time is, of course, concerning, but it is critical that we allow the investigations to proceed and determine the circumstances of each shooting," 1st Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said in an emailed statement. "What is most concerning is the prevalence of gun violence and domestic violence, which appear to have been involved in a number of these cases."
She said her office will address these issues and do what it can to decrease gun violence, substance abuse and intimate partner violence.
In March, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza sought public comment to revise the department's use-of-force policies, calling them outdated and based on reactive control strategies, which is when officers base their use of force on a suspect's actions.
"An internal investigation is ongoing regarding this incident," Juan Rios, sheriff's office spokesman, said in an email. "Policies, including the revised Use of Force, will be evaluated by investigators as they conduct their inquiry into the incident."
It's unclear if the recent shootings occurred under the new or old use-of-force policies. In March, Mendoza said the new policy would take effect in a few months.
On June 23, city of Santa Fe police officers shot and killed Francisco Lino-Gutierrez near the Loretto Chapel downtown after he fled De Vargas Park with a handgun. Police said Lino-Gutierrez ignored officer commands to drop a weapon and pointed it at police before he was shot. He had taken the gun from Kalin Addison, 20, who allegedly shot a woman in De Vargas Park moments earlier.
Later that day, Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office deputies shot and killed a suspect after a car chase near the Java Joe's coffee shop at Siler Road and Rufina Court. The suspect, who has not been identified, exited a stolen black Ford Ranger he was driving and pointed a gun at officers before he was shot, according to state police. Deputies tried unsuccessfully to apprehend the suspect earlier that day.
On Sunday, state police officers shot and injured a suspect in Santa Fe after he allegedly fired a gun at officers. The man was sitting on the railroad tracks near Interstate 25 south of Santa Fe. When officers approached him, he fled and shot at police, who returned fire, according to state police. The shooting occurred near Calle Prado and Chaparral, and the suspect was taken to a local hospital and was expected to survive.
