Man shot by Farmington police near Animas Street allegedly pointed handgun at officers

• The shooting occurred between 4:15 p.m. and 5:10 p.m. on May 10 following a 911 call reporting gunshots heard in the area of the 100 block of West Animas Street.
• The man who allegedly had the firearm pointed it at officers and started to walk toward them. The four officers then fired at the man.
• Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 505-334-6107.

FARMINGTON — The man who was shot in downtown Farmington by law enforcement allegedly pointed a handgun at officers as he walked toward them, leading four officers to fire on the man.

A video statement from Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe was released alongside an 11-second clip of an officer’s body camera from the incident.

New details of the May 10 Farmington Police Department shooting based on an investigation by the San Juan County Regional Officer Involved Shooting Task Force were released by police May 11.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency investigating the incident.

The shooting occurred between 4:15 p.m. and 5:10 p.m. on May 10 following a 911 call reporting gunshots heard in the area of the 100 block of West Animas Street, according to a law enforcement press release and social media posts.

Officers found two men they had been searching for on West Animas Street.

A man police said had a firearm allegedly pointed it at officers and started to walk toward them. The four officers then fired at the man.

A screen capture from an officer’s body camera and a patrol vehicle dashboard camera shows the unidentified man pointing an object at officers.

Officers attended to the man’s injuries as paramedics were called to the scene. No other injuries were reported from the incident.

The man was initially transported to San Juan Regional Medical Center, then to a hospital in Albuquerque, where he is being treated.

The press release did not identify the man or state whether he’s under investigation for any potential crimes.

It also did not state how many shots were fired at the man, nor the type of injuries he sustained.

Officers blocked off the 100 block of West Animas Street between Orchard Avenue and Behrend Avenue as the scene was investigated on May 10.

Crime scene investigators were evaluating evidence on the north side of the building at 101 West Animas Street, along the exterior of the building on the sidewalk.

Two Farmington police patrol SUVs were parked in the roadway and numerous evidence markers were on the ground outside the vehicles.

The armed man who was shot is allegedly tied to a series of 911 calls received earlier in the day.

The first calls to 911 started around 2:23 p.m. from witnesses stating they heard gunshots and saw two men walking around, one with a firearm.

A graphic released by Farmington police shows six locations tied to the incident.

Shell casings were found at 725 W. Main St. near the Domino’s Pizza restaurant. The men were seen at 727 and 703 W. Broadway Ave. and on Schwartz Avenue between West Main Street and West Broadway Avenue.

Security camera footage at a business helped identified the two men.

Farmington police posted to its social media accounts around 3:40 p.m. that officers were investigating multiple reports of shots fired calls in the area of Lake Street, Allen Avenue and Arrington Street.

It also asked citizens in the area to shelter-in-place until the order was lifted at about 3:57 p.m.

It was around 4:39 p.m. that Farmington police stated there was police activity in the area of West Animas Street and asked citizens to avoid the area.

Farmington police posted on social media at 5:10 p.m. that the shooting had occurred.

The four officers who fired on the man are on administrative leave.

The video statement from Chief Hebbe detailed the investigation and covered most of the information in the press release.

This is the first law enforcement shooting for Farmington police since Humberto Vasquez was shot by officers on the morning of Jan 20 in the 1000 block of Glade Lane, according to The Daily Times archives.

Vasquez was shot after he allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at officers and threatened to kill two people while armed with a handgun..

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 505-334-6107.

Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.

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