A man was shot and killed in the doorway of his own home after police turned up at the wrong address. Officers from the Farmington Police Department in New Mexico were responding to a domestic violence call when things went very badly wrong. Now, an unnamed victim who was completely innocent has lost his life.
Bodycam footage shows the officers approaching the door to an address and knocking twice. No one answers, leading the officers to confer with a dispatcher to confirm the address. They then asked the caller to come to the door. Not long after, the homeowner opens the front door holding a gun. Police then opened fire on him, striking him several times.
As the man falls to the ground, a woman can be heard screaming in the background. Police officers then continue to shoot, though the woman wasn’t injured. The woman was cuffed and led away from the property.
There’s just one problem: the Farmington Police Department was at the wrong address. The man’s daughter had called in asking for assistance to come to the house, but it wasn’t the right one. An investigation is now underway after the homeowner died of his injuries.
Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe wanted the public to see the bodycam footage and released it to display the force’s willingness to be transparent.
“All of us — the men and women of the Farmington Police Department — recognize the severity of this incident. We will do everything possible to more fully understand what transpired here,” he said in a statement, per Fox 11 Los Angeles. “Once again, we wish to express our condolences to the Dotson family and, as your chief of police, I wish to convey how very sorry I am that this tragedy occurred. We will continue to provide updates as we are able.”
The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. However, given that they had responded to what they believed to be a domestic violence call and the man was armed, they believed shooting was warranted.
