The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has issued a news release detailing the events surrounding an officer-involved shooting at 201 Adams St. S.E. last month.
Authorities claim the shooting occurred after a concerned citizen contacted the police when witnessing two males walking into an apartment at 6201 Anderson Ave. S.E.
According to the department news release, the witness told authorities one of the men brandished a machine gun, and the suspects, involved in this initial incident, left the scene in a sedan.
An officer with prior knowledge of the residence, began a search for Isaiah Espinosa, 16, wanted on felony warrants for homicide and armed robbery, according to the news release.
Police officers eventually confronted the suspects on Adams Street, when they decided to approach the sedan and a sergeant approached in an unmarked unit, blocking the path of the suspect’s car and the passenger-side doors.
As the officers approached, Espinosa and another man, who police later identified as David Baldonado, ran westbound where they were apprehended, police said. At that point, a detective witnessed a third suspect in the vehicle, later identified as Isaac Reyes, aiming a gun at one of the officers. According to the release, the officer didn’t fire because he saw a woman still in the car with Reyes.
Authorities added that Reyes got out of the car and ran west with the gun, and the sergeant alerted the team, with one detective firing a police-issued rifle, hitting Reyes. The release noted the suspect was treated, arrested and transported to the Metro Detention Center. The APD also noted officers took Espinosa and Baldonado into custody for their felony warrants.
Police said they had been seeking the trio after receiving this tip from a witness.
According to the news release, the officer involved in the shooting incident has been with the department since 2011 and has been involved in two other shootings.
“Over the next several months, APD will continue to investigate and analyze this incident," police said. "After the investigation is complete, APD's force review board will forward the findings to the superintendent of police reform to determine if this incident met the high standards of the Albuquerque Police Department."
The APD probe will include new witness interviews and forensics testing.