New Mexico Police Shot and Killed a Man After They Went to the Wrong House While Responding to a Dom

[ruet]

Source: CNN

Authorities are investigating the shooting of a man killed by police at his northwestern New Mexico home after they arrived at the wrong address, police said.

Robert Dotson, 52, was killed Wednesday night by officers with the Farmington Police Department after they received a call reporting a domestic violence incident around 11:30 p.m. and went to his house instead of the one across the street, according to local and state police.

“I am just heartbroken. … Mr. Dotson was not the subject of this call,” Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said during a Thursday video statement posted on Facebook. “This ending is just unbelievably tragic. I’m extremely sorry that we’re in this position.”

Upon arriving to the neighborhood in Farmington, which is about 150 miles northwest of Albuquerque, officers “mistakenly approached 5305 Valley View Avenue instead of 5308 Valley View Avenue,” New Mexico State Police said in a statement Thursday.

After no one answered their knocks on the door, police officers asked the dispatch to call the person who reported the incident and ask them to come to the front door.

At some point, Dotson opened the door of his home while armed with a handgun and at least one officer shot at least one round from their gun, striking and killing Dotson at the scene, according to state police citing body camera footage.

Armed with a handgun, Dotson’s wife exchanged gunfire with officers, but she was not injured, authorities said.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/07/us/new-mexico-police-shooting-wrong-house/index.html

[Stuart G]

1. K & R ..Stupid Cops, Very Stupid Cops,...In New York City or Los Angeles this would ..NOT HAPPEN!!

And....all of us living in big cities know that. Police training in big cities is more complete than Farmington New Mexico.

Farmington New Mexico .....population 46,000..... site below where I got information. :

https://www.google.com/search?q=Farmington+New+Mexico&sitesearch=

[sarisataka]

3. It happens in NY and LA

Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old black man, was fatally shot on November 20, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, by a New York City Police Department officer. Two police officers, patrolling stairwells in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)'s Louis H. Pink Houses in East New York, Brooklyn, entered a pitch-dark, unlit stairwell. Officer Peter Liang, 27, had his firearm drawn. Gurley and his girlfriend entered the seventh-floor stairwell, fourteen steps below them. Liang fired his weapon; the shot ricocheted off a wall and fatally struck Gurley in the chest. A jury convicted Liang of manslaughter, which a court later reduced to criminally negligent homicide.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Akai_Gurley

No charges for LAPD officers who shot newspaper delivery women during Dorner manhunt

Eight Los Angeles police officers who mistakenly opened fire on Los Angeles Times newspaper delivery women thinking they were rogue ex-cop Christopher Dorner in 2013 will not be criminally charged, the L.A. County district attorney’s office announced Wednesday.

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-no-charges-lapd-shooting-newspaper-delivery-women-dorner-manhunt-20160127-story.html

[Stuart G]

8. Sorry, I was wrong. That happens from time to time.

Last edited Sat Apr 8, 2023, 07:47 PM - Edit history (1)

[dalton99a]

2. "Yep, looks like 5308 to me"

5305 Valley View Ave, Farmington, New Mexico

[Stuart G]

5. I agree with you...Hard to tell an eight from a five in that picture. :sarcasm:

[ProfessorGAC]

48. Especially With 3 Floodlights Right Above The Number

Is Farmington hiring cops that can't read numbers?

[sanatanadharma]

4. 2nd amendment home-personal defense fails ...

2nd amendment home-personal defense fails.
Having a gun is no guarantee of safety unless one shoots first.

Is it any wonder that so many people shoot first? The gun demands it!

[ruet]

7. Seriously?

You gonna "shoot first" at the Police? Let's not mix our chocolate with our peanut butter here please.

[eggplant]

9. It sounds like he didn't fire at all, just brandished.

[sanatanadharma]

14. Seriously! they should not have brought the gun to the door

From the linked report:
"After no one answered their knocks on the door, police officers asked the dispatch to call the person who reported the incident and ask them to come to the front door.
At some point, Dotson opened the door of his home while armed with a handgun and at least one officer shot at least one round from their gun, striking and killing Dotson at the scene, according to state police citing body camera footage."

So did they get a phone call?
Did they know it was police at the door?
If they did know, why were both armed at the door?

It could well be that they were aroused from sleep, grabbed guns for defense and failed.
It is certain that they had guns and that one fact was all the cop needed to kill.

So, yes, seriously their gun possession killed them. And the gun-possession was useless.

[ruet]

20. Seriously? Again?

If someone is knocking at my door at 11:30 pm you can bet your sweet bippy I'm going to answer it while being, discreetly, armed. What reality are you connected to?

[sanatanadharma]

28. I applaud your thought to be discretely armed

They were not discrete.
Therefore they were not protected.
Their gun did not protect them.
Guns kill!

I seriously have no more to say about a dead gun owner who should still be alive polishing his protection policy.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

56. You know what I do if someone unexpected is pounding on my door

Get away from the door and call the cops. If it's not the cops, then you can get a nuisance removed. If it is the cops, you can ask what they hell they're doing on your doorstep, and to knock if it off and go away if you've done nothing illegal.

Gee... Who would have thought there was a way to respond that didn't involve guns?

[friend of a friend]

71. You would answer the door before knowing who was outside?

[LiberalArkie]

51. They did not know who was at the door.

The police called the wrong number. The number across the street. The guy killed probably was asleep and only heard someone banging on the door demanding to be let in.

[sheshe2]

59. Wait a second...they went to the wrong house.

They went to 5305 if the police called they would have called 5308. So no, the house they went to wouldn't have gotten any call.

[Tumbulu]

11. Why would you greet the police with a gun?

And the wife had one too and shot at the cops?

There is more to this story than is in the report.

[csziggy]

16. Did the police identify themselves?

Or did they just pound on the door?

I could see someone going to the door with a gun if an unidentified person had been pounding on it. Same as the guy who set the trap for the kids who kicked their door in the middle of the night and planned to run away - following a Tik Tok trend: https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/news/video-courtenay-homeowners-hospitalized-after-tiktok-challenge-turns-ugly/

That Tik Tok thing has been going on for years and in some cases the doors have been broken. So it's not surprising that the first assumption may not be that it is police, especially if they do not clearly identify themselves.

[Tumbulu]

60. I have lived in small towns and or rural areas my adult life and everyone sort of

knows who the police are and the police kind of know everyone as well.

So, if someone is banging on the door you call 911 and they tell you its the police. Or you look out the window and see the police car.

I am still convinced that there are major things being left out about this whole situation.

[sarisataka]

19. I would

Some years back I was woken at 2:30 in the morning by someone pounding on the door. I tool my pistol to see what was going on and saw it was two police officers.

They said they had received a report of a woman screaming and asked to come in. I lived alone at the time.

I told them I would let them in. I also said there will be a table to their left which will have a loaded 9mm pistol on it. They came in and immediately secured the firearm.

One asked if I always answer the door with a gun. I replied when someone is knocking the door down in the middle of the night I do. Second cop said hard to argue with that logic.

They verified I was alone, apologized for bothering me put the gun back on the table and left.

[Tumbulu]

61. well, it seems as though you handled it differently than these people did

which I am glad to hear.

I do not think that it is a good idea, in general, to shoot at or point guns at the police. Unless it is your goal to get killed.

[sarisataka]

72. I would agree

shooting or pointing guns at police is a very bad idea. I would even extend that to any civilian unless there is extremely good cause for doing so.

When I interact with police I try to think how my actions may be (mis)interpreted. If I am pulled over while driving I hand over my license, registration and pistol permit, regardless if I am carrying. IMO a document is less alarming to the officer than saying "I have a gun." They are notified I may potentially be armed and can ask questions/ give directions at that point. It keeps them out of reactive mode so they feel in control. Also the color of my skin works in my favor...

[NutmegYankee]

69. Husband and wife didn't know it was the police.

Husband answered door armed because he didn't know who was banging in the middle of the night. Wife, still not knowing it was police outside, sees husband shot and opens fire, which was reasonable at the time.

[Tumbulu]

74. Seems as though their ignorant approach proved to be lethal in this instance

and every single gun safety protocol that I am aware of warns people against this sort of behavior.

Tragic for all involved.

[friend of a friend]

6. I don't understand how this went down.

Didn't they know that there were cops outside? No outside light? Did they ask who was outside? I wouldn't answer my door at night without knowing who was outside.

[Tumbulu]

12. Agree!

[Kaleva]

10. Bet this now dead gun owner had no training

and he paid the price

I can't feel sorry for such people.

Guns are dangerous and their mere presence can escalate a situation. If one thinks they need a gun for self defense, then it's imperative to get the proper training and continue to practice what one was taught

[azureblue]

22. yeah, right - put it on a homeowner defending himself

instead of a trigger happy shoot first cop. What is wrong with you? It's the cops who should be trained.

I would do the same thing if I got somebody pounding on my door at near midnight, even if they claim to be cops.
Stupid cops can't tell a 5 from an 8. If they are that dumb, they do not need to have a firearm.

[Kaleva]

32. Of course I blame it on the gun humper

They think that if they have a gun in their hand, the smart thing to do is void your first line of defense by opening the door and exposing yourself to whoever and what ever is out there.

I'm unaware of any reputable self defense with a gun organization that teaches that .

Your comment:

"Iwould do the same thing if I got somebody pounding on my door at near midnight, even if they claim to be cops."

Where did you get your training from?

[Tumbulu]

75. absolutely right!

thank you for your post!

[duhneece]

76. Victim blaming, when one wakes up to banging on the door...

… and in an unthinking moment, takes a firearm for defense?
Man, that’s cold.

[Kaleva]

77. You have every right to defend idiot gun humpers

It's not against the rules here and you won't be banned for it.

Your comment:

"takes a firearm for defense?"

When one who has a gun in their hand closes the distance with possible bad guys, you are on offense and not defense .

Your comment:

"and in an unthinking moment"

The purpose of training is so that one doesn't have to think in a stressful situation as very, very few of us are capable of thinking clearly during that time.

I'm unaware of any reputable self defense expert or organization that teaches gun owners to do what the what the deceased did and I bet if you looked, you won't find any either

The bottom line is that guns are dangerous and it's imperative that those who own a gun or are thinking of getting one for home/self defense get the appropriate training and regularly practice that training. You believe otherwise which is why you refered to him as a victim. I strongly disagree with your belief.

I have a revolver and a CPL but since I had my left shoulder replaced last summer I have not been able to keep up on my training and drills which I used to about 3 times a week. The empty gun is secured in a locked gun safe in the master bedroom and the ammo is in a locked, metal ammo box in the basement. It's going to remain that way until I can get back on track with the training .

I still conduct safe room drills. Especially when the grandkids are over. The masterbedroom is the designated safe room. The door is reinforced and has a deadbolt as are all exterior doors. We have Ring doorbells with video so we can see and talk to whoever is outside even from our safe room thus reducing risk to ourselves.

For far too many homeowners who have a gun, the gun is the first line of defense when it should be the defense of last resort.

[truthisfreedom]

13. If only he'd had a gun.

[JI7]

15. Did they identify as being police when they knocked on the door ?

[colorado_ufo]

17. Too many guns.

Period.

[azureblue]

23. too many trigger happy cops

And they kill unarmed people all the time.

[colorado_ufo]

25. Amen

[Kaleva]

33. And too many gun owners who don't know what they are doing

[LiberalFighter]

18. Are police that stupid they don't know they were at the wrong address?

Odd and even numbered addresses are based on direction within the locale.

[yonder]

27. Excellent point. In our area, even house numbers are on the north and east sides of streets.

If they were responding to a disturbance at 5308 they were on the wrong side of the road. If they were responding to a call originating at 5305 about a disturbance at 5308, the people at 5305 should have been expecting police contact either by another phone call or a knock on the door.

Right now, there are too many unanswered questions. It almost sounds like a dispatcher error which doesn’t matter in the end because someone is now dead and others will have lifelong scars.

[LeftInTX]

73. I know! That's a bad mistake, unless it's some weird street

[Vinca]

21. All the homeowner had to do was speak to the cops and tell them they were at the wrong

address. Instead, he points a gun at them and his wife, Annie Oakley, fires hers. No wonder the cops killed him. This turned into an unnecessary death because of the homeowner, not the cops.

[sl8]

24. How did you determine that he pointed a gun at them? nt

[Vinca]

53. Did you read the original post? That's what it says.

[sl8]

54. Mind quoting it for me?

I've read it several times and am not seeing it. It says he was armed, but that's not nearly the same as pointing a gun at someone. I've been armed many times and I'm pretty sure I was never in any danger of being shot for it.

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

62. It said...

He had a gun, not that he pointed it.

[sl8]

66. I agree.

The poster I'm replying to says otherwise, which is why I asked them to provide the quote.

[NickB79]

26. The number of people here defending the cop is pretty astonishing

But DU has been surprising me more and more lately.

[Kaleva]

34. The number of people here defending a gun humper is astonishing

Nobody who has the proper training would open a door to confront whoever was outside. If you have a gun in your hand, that means you think the situation is is extremely dangerous so why would anyone open the door and expose themselves?

The proper thing to do is hunker down in the designated safe room and call 911. Even the NRA teaches that.

[NickB79]

38. Except you just made up a bunch of stuff

The article never says he confronted the cops, or that he aimed his gun at them. All it says is he opened the door while holding a gun. Holding a gun, in your own home, on your own property, isn't illegal. He wasn't even carrying outside his home. And nowhere does it say he was a MAGA gun humper. Millions of Democrats own firearms for self defense. You yourself have stated you own a handgun.

So tell me: if you were on this cop's jury, would you vote to convict, or acquit? Was the cop right or wrong to open fire at the mere sight of a gun?

Unless you can show me evidence he actually pointed his gun at the police, the cops are in the wrong here.

[Kaleva]

44. Quote where I said he pointed a gun at the cops

You won't find it.

If like to know what training you have had with guns and what they taught you about what to do in a similar.

If you never had any training and are just expressing an opinion, that's fine,. We can just move on.

I'd never do what the gun owner did and what you say is legal because I know from training that it is dangerous. It is the responsibility of the gun owner to get the proper training and practice that training. Otherwise, do not get a gun

[NickB79]

49. Apparently we have different definitions of "confronted"

Because when you say "confronted with a gun", it doesn't sound like a gun-at-your-side interaction. It sounds like a gun-in-your-face interaction.

"Confrontation" generally has a more violent connotation when firearms are involved.

And you never answered my question: would you find this cop innocent or guilty if on a jury?

I can say I'd likely find him innocent if the homeowner raised his gun, and guilty if the homeowner had his gun at his side the whole time.

[Kaleva]

64. There are many here who say they are terrified of others with guns

The mere presence of one can escalate the situation .

Guns are capable of lethal force and having a gun in your hand ready to use signifies you may be willing to use it.

As for your question, I'll wait until more info is made known before I form an option on the actions of the police.

There is enough info given where I feel comfortable in thinking that the homeowner himself lacked adequate training in the use of a gun for home defense.

[sarisataka]

35. I remember the last time DU defended cops

Who went to the wrong house and killed the homeowner...

On second thought, I don't ever remember it happening before.

[republianmushroom]

29. the white washing of the department will now start.

[MarcA]

30. Better Technology and better Training for all involved.

No system is perfect and humans are prone to errors as are devices but this would most likely have had a different ending with better training for both the gun owning homeowner and the police. Also, alert devices on doors should and could become as common and as available as smoke detectors. Robotic devices for police could be used for first contact and PSAs could make the public aware of their existence and use. Things still won't be perfect but should be better.

[Kaleva]

37. True

With Ring r a similiar device, a homeowner can see and talk to whoever is outside and you can do that a safe distance from the door.

[EarthFirst]

31. I'm sorry however the burden of initial identification is solely of the responding officers...

If any sensibilities existed among these officers; after dark; certainly during a reasonable period where many would be expected to be sleeping (11:30 p.m.) they would AUDIBLY announce their presence.

Why wouldn’t they expect someone to be alarmed and potentially secure a weapon of some fashion; firearm or otherwise…

There is a higher standard of conduct among certain members of our society that should be expected as law enforcement officers that seems to have fallen to the wayside.

[SunSeeker]

36. Looks like the homeowner's gun didn't protect him...

"Dotson opened the door of his home while armed with a handgun and at least one officer shot at least one round from their gun, striking and killing Dotson"

[Kaleva]

39. He'd be alive today if he didn't have one

[SunSeeker]

40. Yup.

[ruet]

42. So You Are For Banning Guns Outright? -NT-

[SunSeeker]

45. No, just posting a PSA.

Chill.

[ruet]

41. What On Earth Would Lead You To Come to This Conclusion? -NT-

[Kaleva]

46. What did your training teach you to do in that situation?

[ruet]

47. As an LEO or Homeowner?

I was in the academy in the 80's so I might not recall everything. I will say this though. When I was there we were taught that protecting innocents over ourselves was our raison d'etre. Very not like it is today.

Oh, wait. Were you just trying to be a smartarse?

[SunSeeker]

55. As a homeowner, if you wanted to defend innocents, you wouldn't keep a gun in the house.

This guy bought the right wing NRA propaganda that keeping a gun in the house protects you. It does not. A gun in the house makes it more likely that you or someone else in your household will die by gun. That's a fact.

That even applies to LEOs. Keeping a gun in the house is particularly deadly for LEOs, since they suffer high rates of depression and PTSD. Coupling those mental health issues with keeping a gun readily at hand, ready to act on impulse, results in LEOs having the highest suicide rate of any other profession. https://www.addictioncenter.com/news/2019/09/police-at-highest-risk-for-suicide-than-any-profession/

[Kaleva]

63. So you have no home defense training.

I assume you have no gun then which would be very wise considering your lack of training

People fail to understand that guns are dangerous and having one for self/home defense entails adequate training in the handling and use of firearms.

Chapter 14 of the NRA Guide to the Basics OF Personal Protection In The Home discusses what to do in responding to a possible break-in. The first thing the chapter says to do is to withdraw to safety .

The above book is the one the State of MI required me to get for use in my training to get a state issued CPL. I refer to it once in awhile for refresher training and am required to read the entire book prior to applying for a renewal of my license

[sakabatou]

43. "Double-check? What's that?" -these fucking cops

[Kaleva]

67. And then there are gun owners who don't have a clue

My guess is the the homeowner never bothered with training. Other then going to the firing range.

Gun are dangerous and if one decides to get one for home/self defense, then it behooves them to get the applicable training and then practice that training. Otherwise, they'd be better off not having a gun

[womanofthehills]

50. When I was young, I was renting a house in a low income neighborhood

Twice - I was awoken in the middle of the night (I had a toddler) - lots of cops with their guns drawn pointing at my house yelling come on out. Both times they asked for a guy who lived there in the past - who they were looking for. Both times they searched my house. They told me I had to go to the main police dept and get my house taken off of a list.

I worked near where I lived - it was a community center and we had a sleep over at the center for grade school kids. Surrounded again with cops with guns - suspicious a light was on in the building.

[cstanleytech]

52. If they have bodycams I would be interested in seeing them before judging to see

how many times they knocked as well as if they announced loudly that they were police officers and how many times they did so.

[GP6971]

58. Welcome to DU!. n/t

[allnews]

65. Grrrr

The stupid in this country is becoming overwhelming. Sad it was wrong house but they shouldn’t have died either. But he mistakenly believed his gun would save him rather than get him killed. Would have hopefully been sorted with no shots had he not had one. But on the other hand some say who answers to police like that? Could be a person who knows they are innocent and knows what’s going on in country now so maybe it doesn’t seem so extreme. I don’t read articles closely but what kind of rep do those cops have? What color is everyone? Neighborhood economics? I think more people are going to die before we get some common sense gun control enacted.

[Kaleva]

68. Brandishing a gun in New Mexico and answering the door

"As used in this section, "brandished" means displaying or making a firearm known to another person while the firearm is present on the person of the offending party with intent to intimidate or injure a person."

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/2020/chapter-31/article-18/section-31-18-16/#:~:text=As%20used%20in%20this%20section,intimidate%20or%20injure%20a%20person.

As I've said in other posts, having a gun in hand can escalate a situation.

"Body camera footage shows as the officers backed away from 5305 Valley View Avenue, the homeowner, Robert Dotson, 52, opened the screen door armed with a handgun. At this point in the encounter, officer(s) fired at least one round from their duty weapon(s) striking Mr. Dotson."

https://www.dps.nm.gov/blog/2023/04/06/state-police-investigate-ois-involving-the-farmington-police-department/

Here is video by a defense expert:

https://www.dps.nm.gov/blog/2023/04/06/state-police-investigate-ois-involving-the-farmington-police-department/

[IronLionZion]

70. Guns make us safe. Back the blue