Two police officers in Albuquerque may face murder charges for the 2014 shooting death of a homeless man in New Mexico’s foothills.
Reuters noted that on Monday, Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg filed paperwork against former detective Keith Sandy and Officer Dominique Perez of the Albuquerque Police Department.
As previously reported, the policemen were captured on footage from a helmet camera fatally shooting a homeless man they were attempting to arrest for illegally camping last March.
James Boyd, 38, was confronted by the officers for being in an unauthorized area of the Sandia Foothills. Authorities said he was armed with knives and had a history of mental illness.
Boyd bent down to pick up his backpack and told the police not to worry about their safety.
In the video he can be heard saying, "I'm not a [f------] murderer.”
Seconds later, they fire a flash-bang grenade at him and when he turns away, he is shot several times.
The police department maintained all along that the officers were justified in the shooting. However, video of the confrontation sparked public outrage and some suggested that it was murder and now, months later, Brandenburg seems to agree with the latter.
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