Here’s a horrific story about a trigger happy deputy unloading a whole clip into a teenager who dropped an airsoft gun at the beginning of an encounter with a cop.
From KOAT.com:
The Otero County Sheriff’s Office released a statement that said New Mexico State Police investigated the incident and gave it to the district attorney for review.
The sheriff’s office also did its own investigation and concluded Deputy Diaz’s actions were “within policy and training.”
“Their response is, ‘Well we did our own investigation. The shooting was well within our standards and regulation, and we feel it was justified so we put the deputy back on active duty,'” said legal expert John Day.
In September, Diaz was cleared to return to work as a patrol deputy.
“I’ve been practicing law in New Mexico for 30 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a law enforcement agency where one of their own was involved in a shooting that didn’t say it was justifiable,” said Day.
He added that this decision could be risky for the agency.
“If we’re going to put our deputy back on the street and any case that he’s involved in could come up for questioning if he’s charged with a crime. Apparently, that’s a risk, they were willing to take,” Day said.
Daniel Williams, a policy advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union, said something has to change.
“New Mexico has one of the highest per capita rates of people killed by police in the country. This happens far too often in New Mexico,” said Williams. “The fact that a law enforcement agency was able to look at this shooting and determine it justified raises a lot of questions about the standards that our agencies are using around the state to address use of force.”
Imagine if you were the boy’s parents.
Remember the “accidental death” of handcuffed prisoner Daniel Saenz when he was shot in the back by El Paso Police Officer Jose Flores in the sally port of the El Paso County Jail. Officer Flores was fired, but he got his job back.
And how about that kid who apparently had second thoughts about suicide after putting a noose around his neck. HIs parents called the cops, and Officer Officer Ruben Escajeda Jr., who responded, thought it could be a good idea to tase him while he was standing on his tiptoes.
From ElPasoTimes.com:
“We called the police to help my son, instead the officer killed him. I still don’t understand why. I also don’t understand why the department covered for this officer rather than hold him accountable,” Ramirez said.
And how about when Officer Mando Kenneth Gomez fatally shot Erik Salas Sanchez in his mother’s home because Mr. Salas Sanchez picked up a brake pad?
From ElPasoMatters.com:
[Erik’s mother Celia] Sanchez said she wishes she could stand in front of the officers who were in her home that evening and ask them how their own children are doing since she will never be able to see her son again because of what happened.
All those cops were reinstated on the El Paso Police Department. As far as anyone knows, they’re still employed there.