On April 14, the Farmington Police Department in New Mexico (USA) released video extracted from a police body camera in the shocking incident of going to the wrong address and shooting and killing a homeowner.
The video was released by the Farmington, New Mexico, police department on April 14, less than a week after a shocking shooting on the evening of April 9. In the video, US police arrive at a resident’s home at the address provided by the operator after receiving a report of a domestic dispute.
The police knocked on the door, announcing that law enforcement officers were on the scene following a call to the emergency line. But the police officers did not know that they had come to the wrong house. The house where the caller reported the incident is on the same street but has a different house number.
After a while of not hearing anyone inside, the police informed the operator again to confirm the address and asked to contact the caller to open the door.
Less than a minute later, the homeowner, Robert Dotson, 52, opened the door, holding a handgun. Seemingly surprised, the police officers retreated and fired continuously at the homeowner. Victim Dotson collapsed at the scene, lying motionless.
The homeowner’s wife inside saw this and also pulled out a gun and fired outside and screamed in fear. The police saw this and continued to shoot back.
At this time, the operator informed the police in the area about a shooting and someone needed help. The caller at that time was Mr. Dotson’s daughter. There were two other children inside the house at that time.
The entire shooting happened in 4 minutes from the time the officers arrived at the wrong address. Dotson’s wife was not injured or charged with any crime when she opened fire on police. The officers involved in the shooting were not injured.
Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said on April 14 that the department was releasing the video to give the public a sense of what happened. Hebbe called it a sad day for the police force and for Dotson’s family.
The victim’s family agreed to let the video be released, according to the Farmington Police Department.
“Again, we want to extend our condolences to the Dotson family. As chief of police, I want to express my regret for this tragedy. We will continue to provide new information as we can,” Hebbe said.
The three officers directly involved in the incident are currently suspended pending an investigation. Notably, Chief Hebbe made several comments defending his subordinates.
“The outcome of the incident was bad, but the reality is that sometimes we go to the wrong address,” said Chief Hebbe. According to Hebbe, the victim, Robert Dotson, appeared to have pointed a gun at the police.
