Posted on 04/08/2023 5:09:42 AM PDT by marktwain
FARMINGTON, N.M. — At around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Farmington Police Department was dispatched to a domestic violence call on Valley View Avenue.
According to New Mexico State Police, Farmington police officers mistakenly approached the wrong house. Officers reportedly knocked on the front door and announced they were police. When no one answered, officers asked dispatch to call the reporting party back and have them come to the front door.
As officers backed away from the door, the homeowner approached the door, armed with a handgun. Police identified the homeowner as 52-year-old Robert Dotson.
“At this point in the encounter, officer(s) fired at least one round from their duty weapon(s), striking Mr. Dotson,” NMSP spokesman Ray Wilson wrote in a news release.
After the initial shooting, Dotson’s wife – who was also armed – opened fire from the doorway of the home. Once again, police shot back.
“Once she realized that the individuals outside the residence were officers, she put the gun down and complied with the officer’s commands,” Wilson wrote.
Dotson was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife was uninjured.
New Mexico State Police said the Farmington police officers were not injured and will not be identified at this time.
According to authorities, officers were dispatched to 5308 Valley View but ended up knocking on the door of the house across the street.
Neighbors are just beginning to process what happened on the street they describe as a close-knit community.
“Especially on this street, because half of us are related,” said one neighbor who did not want to be identified.
The deadly mistake is now capturing national attention. Neighbors say the street will never be te same with Dotson gone.
“Robert was a great neighbor ever since that house was built and they moved in,” a neighbor said. “He just always watched out for the neighborhood. I used to have an inflatable pool on my back porch and my Rottweiler got into it and couldn’t get out and he noticed it and literally saved my dog’s life.”
New Mexico State Police are handling the investigation. Body camera video of the police response is expected to be released in the coming days.
This one is really bad.
Sad.
The homeowner of course did nothing wrong. And what happened to him could happen to any of us.
When police pull up to ANY house after dark they should be required to have all of their emergency lights on. All of them. And maybe sirens, too. Give folks at least a chance to know that it’s the cops who are outside.
What may be just as sad will be the outcome of the “investigation”.
Merely "announcing" they are police is inadequate. They have to actually communicate that they are the police. Neither homeowner had any idea who was banging on their door in the middle of the night.
Just as sad, and unexpected.
There was an incident a couple of years ago where a noise complaint brought the police to an apartment. The resident answered the door with a gun pointed toward the ground.
The police demanded he drop the gun, he moved to comply, and was killed while he was putting the gun down.
I know the homeowner was right, and he was dead right. Why would a homeowner come to the door brandishing a weapon? Better to retreat to a safe room and call police.
> Merely “announcing” they are police is inadequate. <
Yep. It is worth noting that the gunmen who carried out the St. Valentine’s Day massacre announced that they were “police” too. So as you noted, an announcement is not good enough. See my post #4.
Do you call the police everytime someone knocks on your door late at night?
A similar thing happened in my County about a month ago.
The Sheriff's department got a tip (according to them) that drugs were being sold from a house. They went to the house at 2:00am, or so, noticed a window was opened, and attempted to enter through the window. They did not knock on the door or identify themselves. They were confronted by the family's two Great Danes. The cop entering through the window shot and killed both dogs. The family was all asleep when it started.
The family has filed a lawsuit.
-----------------------------------
We all know drugs are bad and dealers need a lot of jail time but cops are out of control everywhere over drugs.
My husband is almost 85 and I don't let him drive in town in traffic. He had a piece of HAM radio equipment he was selling to a friend. They wanted to meet in town on Sunday morning two weeks ago at about 10:00am. I drove him to meet the guy.
After the exchange, I looked in my mirror and a County cop was following us and checking our tags. He followed us home but didn't stop us. I wish he had so that I could set him straight but when he ran my tags, didn't find anything, and saw that I have a carry permit, he figured he was wasting his time, I guess.
They see drug deals everywhere when it isn't and all they see are dollar signs. Drug busting is a good payday for a County department. It's getting dangerous for regular law-abiding citizens.
There is absolutely nothing wrong or odd about answering the door to YOUR HOUSE with your weapon in hand.
Better not to answer the door.
Arm yourself, retreat to a defensible space, call 911.
Wow! What a response!
A training issue for sure, and perhaps a temperament issue.
No matter what, don’t know how you allow these LEOs back on the job when they such critical mistakes.
I hope it doesn't get lost. Or erased. If that happens, it will remain a mystery whether or not the police followed a decent and proper procedure.
when they such -> when they made such
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.