On Wednesday night, Farmington Police officers responded to a domestic violence call and mistakenly went to the wrong address, resulting in the fatal shooting of homeowner Robert Dotson. Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe released a video expressing his condolences and acknowledging the mistake, calling the incident "unbelievably tragic". The New Mexico State Police are currently investigating the shooting.
Posts tagged as “New Mexico”
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has appointed two veteran New Mexico lawyers, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, to serve as special prosecutors in the manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin and a weapons supervisor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a 2021 movie rehearsal. The appointment comes after the previous special prosecutor resigned due to missteps in the filing of initial charges and conflicting responsibilities. Morrissey and Lewis have both served as prosecutors in New Mexico for many years and will review the evidence to determine whether or not to move forward with the case.
Fourteen Democratic governors have called on major pharmacy retail companies to clarify their plans to dispense mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion, in response to recent media reports. This call has been met with opposition from a coalition of anti-abortion groups, who have requested a preliminary injunction to take mifepristone off the market nationwide. If access to mifepristone is halted, it could affect millions of individuals in states where medication abortion is lawfully dispensed. The issue of access to abortion medication has become increasingly politicized, and it remains to be seen how the pharmacy retail companies will respond.
The U.S. Forest Service has announced plans to shoot wild cattle from helicopters in New Mexico beginning next week in order to protect the Gila Wilderness, the nation's first designated wilderness area. Animal rights activists have criticized the decision, arguing for relocation instead of killing the cattle, but Forest Service officials maintain that shooting them from helicopters is the most effective way to address the problem. The operation is expected to begin next week and will continue until the cattle population is reduced to a safe level.
A winter storm bringing a triple threat of ice, sleet and snow to parts of the South and central US has caused officials to close roads and schools and cancel over 1,700 flights. One person has been confirmed dead in a 10-car pileup in south Austin, and two Texas law officers have been seriously injured in crashes. People in the affected areas are urged to take extra precautions when traveling.
Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust". The Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced the charges following an investigation into the incident, which revealed that the gunfire wasn't necessary for the scene. Baldwin's attorney has called the charges a "terrible miscarriage of justice", emphasizing the importance of safety protocols on movie sets.
Solomon Peña, a former New Mexico Republican state house candidate, has been ordered to remain in jail as he awaits trial for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to shoot at the homes of two state legislators and two Bernalillo County commissioners. Judge David Murphy of the Second Judicial District Court ruled that Peña posed a threat to the targets of the shootings and their family members, citing his history of felony convictions and the tactics police say were used in the shootings. Peña is currently facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, and tampering with evidence, and his trial is set to begin in April.
Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are expected to face criminal charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western movie "Rust". However, legal experts have expressed doubts about the strength of the case, and Baldwin has maintained that he did not fire the fatal shot. Hollywood has rallied around the actor, and the case is expected to play out in the coming weeks and months.