The Albuquerque district attorney says two local police officers will be charged in the March 2014 killing of James Boyd, a 38-year-old homeless, mentally ill man. Officers could face murder for the fatal shooting.
James Boyd is shown during a standoff with officers in the Sandia foothills in Albuquerque, N.M. on March 16, 2014.
AP / Albuquerque Police
Albuquerque district attorney Kari Brandenburg plans to file murder charges against two police officers for the fatal shooting of homeless man James Boyd last March, the DA's office said.
In a press release put out Monday, the DA's office confirmed that "criminal informations were filed in the Second Judicial Court in connection with the fatal shooting of James Boyd. The informations contain a single count of open murder against both Albuquerque Police Officers Keith Sandy and Dominique Perez."
A preliminary hearing in the case will now be set by the court. The filing of a murder charge will allow prosecutors to pursue charges ranging from manslaughter to first-degree murder, which carries a life sentence.
KRQE reports that New Mexico law allows prosecutors to charge suspects without seeking a grand jury indictment, but the practice is rare.
Helmet-cam footage from police shows the standoff with Boyd.
Albuquerque Police
Last March, Boyd, a 38-year-old homeless man who suffered from schizophrenia, was found camping in the foothills outside Albuquerque by police. Boyd engaged police in a long standoff while wielding a knife. Police helmet-cam footage of the altercation captured officers fatally shooting Boyd after it appeared that he was surrendering.
The charges against the two cops come as the Albuquerque Police are currently working with the U.S. Justice Department on an overhaul of its use-of-force practices after a 2014 report found the APD to be one of the most deadly and negligent police departments in the country.
The killing of Boyd last year sparked unrest and protests in the community by citizens fed up with the APD's use-of-force procedures and the lack of punishment for officers found to have used unnecessary deadly force.
Lawyers for Sandy and Perez told the Associated Press that they expect their clients to beat the charges.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/17AXHLW
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