Oct. 20 – Matthew “Solo” Garcia was handcuffed in an Albuquerque police SUV at an East Central motel Friday when officers tried to take a firearm they said Garcia had behind his back.
Police lapel video shows Garcia and the officers struggling for several seconds before shots are fired.
At a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Police Chief Harold Medina said he released the latest lapel video showing part of the incident to “ensure the appropriate information is available” about the fatal shooting of Garcia, 39, and “ to give some guarantees to the police.” the public that we are investigating this.” The other lapel video he released Saturday showed a confrontation between police and protesters on Friday evening.
The police chief said he did not release the entire video of the shooting Sunday because the two officers involved need to be interviewed.
On Friday, police shot and killed Garcia while he was handcuffed outside the Tewa Motor Lodge at Central and Alvarado.
In the final lapel video, an officer asked Garcia, “What you got in your hand, dude?”
“A gun,” Garcia replied.
The officers tried to wrestle the firearm away from Garcia.
“Stop,” said an officer. “Dude, stop.”
“Gun, gun, gun,” another officer said.
“Got it.”
Shots were fired.
The incident occurred during an operation targeting criminal activity at the motel. Medina said Garcia had three outstanding warrants when he was arrested.
It is unclear whether officers targeted Garcia for weapons when he was handcuffed and placed in the police SUV, and whether officers followed proper protocol.
“That is something that our administrative investigation will have to determine,” Medina said.
Hours after the shooting on Friday, there was a protest involving about 30 people outside the Tewa Motor Lodge, resulting in the arrest of Sean Kinney, 21, and Emery Schmidt, 34.
Schmidt was charged with assault on a peace officer, a fourth-degree felony, and refusing to obey or comply with an officer, a misdemeanor. Kinney is charged with resisting, eluding or obstructing an officer, a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a petty misdemeanor.
In a lapel video from Friday evening, a person walked up and tore off the crime scene tape, which was used to establish the perimeter for investigation, and officers moved in to detain him. Several people tried to get in front of the person who tore the tape, and a scuffle ensued with police.
There was not much to see during the scuffle as shouts were heard before police pinned at least one protester to the ground and handcuffed him, while another officer pushed people into the crowd.
Medina said someone hit an officer.
“Don’t hit my officers,” Medina said Sunday. “If you hit my officers, I expect they will arrest you and take you to jail. We will make sure we get all the evidence we can from the prosecutor so you are prosecuted.”
Medina said there will be two investigations into the shooting: a criminal investigation to see if the officers’ use of force was “within the law,” and an internal investigation to determine if any administrative violations were committed.
While police investigate, Garcia’s family continues to grieve.
“I never got to say goodbye to my father,” Garcia’s 9-year-old daughter Azul Diamond Garcia told a crowd Sunday night during a protest outside APD headquarters. “I really, really miss him.”
About 75 people showed up to show their support for the Garcia family, who thanked everyone for attending.
“My grandson wanted to be a police officer,” said Matthew’s mother, Bernadette Garcia. ‘Now he hates them. They took his father’s life.’
