| In my ignorance, that sounds like manslaughter to me. See also here. |
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Shocking bodycam footage shows the moment New Mexico police shot dead an innocent man after approaching the wrong house on a domestic violence call out, before firing at the victim's screaming widow.
The blood-chilling video, released by Farmington Police, shows officers realize they are at the wrong address seconds before they shoot dead Robert Dotson, 52, who opens his door armed with a gun.
His widow's haunting screams can then be heard from inside the house and a traumatized cop pleads quietly to himself: 'Please, don't.'
Officers had approached 5305 Valley View Avenue on April 5, but they were supposed to go to 5308 Valley View Avenue, located across the street.
When officers knocked on the door and announced themselves no one answered the door.
The footage shows an officer knocking three times, but between the second and third knocks, the three cops discuss whether they were at the wrong address.
The officer at the door asks: 'Is this not 5308? That's what it said right there, right?'
His partner responds: 'No, it said 5305 didn't it?'
The first officer then requests confirmation of the address they have been called out to over his intercom, and the dispatch confirms 5308.
In a chilling moment of levity seconds before their fatal encounter, the officer then appears to say: 'So they told me the wrong…'
The audio then cuts out and a third officer, standing a few feet away from the front door, is heard laughing.
The cops then begin to back away from the door as they prepare to leave, but seconds later Dotson appears opens the door and raises a gun.
Panicked officers are heard shouting: 'Hey! Hey! What the…?!' before shooting Dotson dead instantly.
Officers confirm: 'One down, move out.'
About a minute later, a woman's screams can be heard coming from the house. The woman, later identified as Dotson's widow, Kimberly Jones-Dotson, then appears at the door with a firearm.
One traumatized officer, seemingly fearing another deadly shootout, says under his breath: 'Please, don't.'
The woman fires her weapon at the officers, who return fire. The footage ends after the conclusion of shots being exchanged.
Once Kimberly realized that the individuals outside her home were officers, she put the gun down and complied with their commands.
She was uninjured and has not been charged with a crime. The officers involved were also not injured and their identities have not been disclosed.
The footage shows all three officers fired their weapons during the shooting, but how many rounds were fired is still under investigation.
Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said he could not yet explain why officers turned up to the wrong address.
He told a news conference at Farmington Police Station: 'That's the worst part of this for us. … I can't give you that explanation right now. That is part of the interviews and that's what the state police will be looking at.'
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