ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Officers with the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) shot and killed 21-year-old man, Julian Sanchez, after responding to a car accident on Saturday, Nov. 5. APD has released concerningly few details about this incident, leaving questions on how police fatally shot the young man after an accident that media reported left him in and out of consciousness.
APD Forward, a coalition of community organizations and individuals seeking to reform APD, is calling for the prompt release of body camera footage of this shooting so that the driver’s family and the community have a transparent accounting of how a routine police call led to his death.
Recent reporting from the Albuquerque Journal shows that despite years of federal oversight intended to address officers’ excessive use of force against residents, 2022 is shaping up to be one of the deadliest years for APD. The rate at which people in New Mexico are shot and killed by law enforcement is one of the highest in the country, and APD is the deadliest department in our state.
Barron Jones, member of APD Forward and ACLU-NM Sr. Policy Strategist, released the following statement:
“Any loss of life in our city is a tragedy that affects our entire community, particularly when that death comes at the hands of officers sworn to preserve life, not end it. It is critical that APD provides a prompt, transparent accounting of the officers’ actions, including the release of body-cam footage, so we can understand what, if anything, could’ve been done to prevent this death.
This latest shooting further underscores the need for a statewide use-of-force policy that creates clear, consistent protocols for deescalating interactions with the public to avoid these kinds of tragic incidents. New Mexicans deserve a police force that meets the highest standards of safety —for both the public and officers —and is held responsible when it does not.”
