Police kill man who shot officer’s badge
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero A San Juan Sheriff's Department investigator investigates a Sunday shooting that ended with the fatal killing in Farmington.
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
A San Juan Sheriff’s Department investigator investigates a Sunday shooting that ended with the fatal killing in Farmington.
FARMINGTON
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
A San Juan Sheriff’s Department investigator leaves a fatal shooting investigation scene Sunday shooting in Farmington.
New Mexico State Police and the San Juan Sheriff’s officers were involved in a shooting that ended with one man killed during a traffic stop in Farmington on Sunday morning around 9:30 a.m.
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
A Farmington Police Department police officer walks by Citizens Bank where a shootout occurred Sunday in Farmington.
According to State Police Chief Pete Kassetas, an officer was injured in the shootout after exchanging shots with suspect William Wilson, 26.
At a press conference at the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in Aztec, New Mexico, Kassetas said the state trooper was hit in the badge in his left chest area.
The officer was hit with shrapnel from the bullet fragments in his facial area and his chest was bruised. He was taken to the San Juan Regional Medical Center for his injuries and released. The deputy who initiated the traffic stop was not injured.
Kassetas said Wilson, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was killed. A sheriff’s deputy also returned fire. The chief said it is not known which officer killed Wilson.
Two other people, the driver and another passenger, were not injured, he said. Both people were taken into custody.
The shooting occurred in the parking lot of Citizens Bank, which is located on Largo Street and Main Street in east Farmington. The bank is located near the Animas Valley Mall, next to a Starbucks coffee shop.
Kassetas said the state police officer overheard a deputy requesting backup and responded to assist. During the stop, while the deputy was arresting the driver, the state police officer began speaking to Wilson. The trooper decided to place Wilson in handcuffs.
“Ultimately, very shortly after that took place, the suspect produced a weapon – revolver, we believe,” Kassetas said. “And fired it at my state police officer, attempting to kill him.”
The officer drew his duty sidearm and immediately returned fire. The deputy also shot Wilson, the chief said.
The vehicle Wilson and the two other occupants were in was a white extended-cab Ford pickup truck with New Mexico plates.
Wilson’s body was covered in a white sheet behind a New Mexico State Police vehicle. A red bandana and a cap also lay near him.
Police said they are continuing to investigate the officer- involved shooting.
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