NMSP investigate shooting by Farmington Police. Here's what we know
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
FARMINGTON ― A Farmington man is dead, after New Mexico State Police said he was shot by Farmington Police officers who responded to the wrong home for a domestic violence call.
What we know
According to New Mexico State Police, Farmington officers were responding to a call regarding domestic violence when they approached the house at 5305 Valley View Ave. The incident was reported at at 5308 Valley View Ave.
When officers got no response from anyone inside the home at the wrong location, they asked dispatchers to call back and ask them to come to the door.
That's when Robert Dotson, 52, came to the door of the home armed with a handgun.
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"At this point in the encounter, officer(s) fired at least one round from their duty weapon(s) striking Mr. Dotson," read a news release from NMSP.
Robert Dotson, who was employed at Highway 64 Auto Salvage, died from the gunshot wounds.
A second person was inside the home
Dotson's wife, whose full name was not released by State Police, was also inside the home. According to State Police, she too came to the front door armed when her husband was shot.
She fired at the officers, but ultimately put down her weapon when State Police said she realized Farmington officers were at her door. Farmington officers, according to the news release, also fired upon Dotson's wife.
She was uninjured.
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Officers placed on leave
The names of the Farmington police officers involved in the shooting were not released to the media.
According to Shanice Gonzales, the public information officer for the Farmington Police Department, the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy.
New Mexico State Police said none of the officers were injured.
Farmington Police Chief issues statement
Farmington Police Department Chief Steve Hebbe in a video released via the department's Facebook page said he was "extremely heartbroken" over the situation.
"This ending is just unbelievably tragic. I'm extremely sorry that we were in this position," Hebbe said.
He said facts would be key in understanding how the event unfolded as New Mexico State Police continue its investigation.
"This is a very dark day for Farmington PD, for our community, for the Dotson family. I extend nothing but my deepest condolences to the Dotson family," Hebbe said.
Hebbe promised video recorded by cameras worn by officers would be made public within the week, following official statements collected by investigators from the officers involved.
The aftermath
The neighborhood surrounding the two-story, brown stucco Dotson home on Friday was quiet, as a van from a local cleaning service company was parked in front of the house and neighbors occasionally gathered to talk about the incident among themselves.
Most of those residents approached by The Daily Times declined to be interviewed. But one woman who lives down the street from the Dotsons described them as “an amazing family.”
The neighbor said she was asleep when the incident took place late Wednesday but was awakened by a sharp noise. Hearing nothing more, she chose not to investigate and learned what had happened only on Thursday morning when she left her house to drive to work and saw a heavy police presence on the street.
The woman said the neighborhood, which is located south of N.M. Highway 516 and east of the Animas Valley Mall, is a close-knit place where most of the neighbors are friendly toward each other. She expressed dismay with the fact that it had become a source of morbid curiosity on Friday.
“It’s stressing me out how many people are driving by just to look,” she said.
The address for the Dotson house is prominently displayed on the street mailbox in front of the property, as well as on the garage at the front of the home, where visitors would need to pass on their way to the front door. The neighbor noted that fact, describing the address numbers as “very visible.”
Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 ormeasterling@daily-times.com.
Jessica Onsurez can be reached at jonsurez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JussGREAT.
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This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: NMSP investigate shooting by Farmington Police. Here's what we know
