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Miles Dilworth, Senior Reporter, Dailymail.Com
Updated Apr 15, 2023 19:24, Apr 15, 2023 21:38
- Video shows the terrifying moment when 52-year-old Robert Dotson was shot dead by police
- His widow’s blood-curdling scream comes just before the second shootout
- I hear the cops discussing and laughing about being at the wrong address
Shocking body camera footage shows the moment New Mexico police shot dead an innocent man after he approached the wrong house with a domestic violence call, firing at the victim’s screaming widow before
A chilling video released by Farmington police showed officers realizing they were at the wrong address seconds before shooting Robert Dotson, 52, as he opened the door armed with a gun. It shows that there is
The haunting screams of his widow are heard from inside the house, and a traumatized cop quietly pleads to himself.
Officers were approaching 5305 Valley View Avenue on April 5, but were supposed to be heading across the street to 5308 Valley View Avenue.
When the police knocked on the door and announced themselves, no one answered the door.
The footage shows the officer knocking three times, but between the second and third knocks, the three officers discuss whether they gave the wrong address.
The door cop asks: “Isn’t this 5308? That’s exactly what it said there, right?
His partner replied, “No, it said 5305, didn’t it?”
The co-pilot then requests confirmation of the address called on the intercom and dispatch confirms 5308.
In a chilling moment seconds before the fatal encounter, the officer appears to say: “So they told me the wrong thing…”
The audio then cuts off and the third mate can be heard laughing standing a few feet away from the front door.
The officers begin to walk away from the door as they prepare to leave, but seconds later Dotson appears and opens the door, raising his gun.
A panicked police officer is heard screaming. oi! What…?!” before instantly shooting Dotson dead.
The officer confirms: “Step back and move.”
About a minute later, a woman’s screams were heard coming from the house. A woman, later identified as Dotson’s widow, Kimberly Jones Dotson, shows up at the door with a gun.
A traumatized officer, seemingly terrified of another deadly shootout, whispers:
The woman fires her weapon at the officer, who returns fire. After the shots are exchanged, the footage ends.
When Kimberly realized that the people outside the house were police officers, she put down her gun and followed their orders.
She is unharmed and has not been charged with any crime. The officer involved in her was also not injured and her identity has not been released.
Footage shows all three officers fired their weapons during the shooting, but how many times they were fired is still under investigation.
Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said he could not yet explain why officers came to the wrong address.
He said at a press conference at Farmington Police Station, “This is the worst part for us. … I can’t explain that right now. This is part of an interview and will be investigated by State Police.”
He added: “It’s really something the officers have to talk to the state police about it, and indeed, you know, the consequences are terrible.”
Hebbe said the shooting is being investigated and state police are trying to determine why the officer went to the wrong address.
Two of the officers have been with the ministry for about five years and the other about three years, he added.
All three are on leave of absence for the duration of the investigation.
The Dotson family, along with their attorneys, reviewed the video footage with the San Juan County District Attorney’s Office prior to its release.
“All of us, the men and women of the Farmington Police Department, are aware of the seriousness of this shooting,” he said. “I will do everything possible to understand more fully what happened here.
“Once again, I would like to extend my condolences to the Dotson family. As Chief of Police, I am deeply sorry that this tragedy has occurred.
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