ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Bodycam video has been released regarding a contentious police shooting from late June involving Albuquerque Police where reportedly two bystanders suffered gunshot wounds while officers were firing upon a suspect armed with a knife.
On June 29th, Albuquerque Police responded to a McDonald’s located off of Lomas and San Pedro at approximately 9:25 p.m. after receiving a call regarding a male stabbing victim.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers discovered the male victim who’d reportedly been stabbed multiple time in the neck and face by a passenger inside of his vehicle, later identified as 25-year-old Jeramiah Salyards, while the victim and suspect were waiting at a McDonald’s drive-thru.
Authorities stated that the victim didn’t know Salyards personally, as he only met him that evening and was simply giving him a ride and buying him some food. The victim told police that while in the line at the McDonald’s, Salyards had suddenly said “sorry” and proceeded to stab him multiple times before fleeing the vehicle.
Officials say witnesses had spotted a suspect matching Salyards description at a bus stop at Lomas and Louisiana shortly after the original incident, prompting a police response to the area.
The responding officers, identified as Brenda Johnson, Eric Wilensky, Violet Baca, and Christian Cordova, descended upon Salyards with weapons drawn, instructing the suspect to drop the knife several times before opening fire. During the gunfire, two bystanders near the bus stop were struck by police gunfire, as well as Salyards.
Salyards was fatally shot during the encounter, whereas one bystander was shot a single time in the knee and the other bystander was shot four times and was described as “seriously injured” as a result. Police officials added that the bystander who suffered four gunshot wounds is actively going through rehabilitation.
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina shared details of the June 29th incident during a press conference held on July 19th, while also sharing the officers’ bodycam video from the shooting.
During the aforesaid press conference, Chief Medina noted that the tactics employed by the officers in the June 29th incident are being assessed considering the bodycam footage shows what appears to be the officers firing in the general direction of the bystanders in order to fire upon Salyards.
While far from condemning or passing judgement upon his officers during the press briefing, Chief Medina did remark that one of the most important tenets of employing deadly force that is ingrained in police officers is to “be sure of your target and what is beyond it.”
“Those are questions that we’re going to have to answer during the administrative investigation, like what was in line? What was the officers perceptions? What was going through their mind at that time? So we do have to answer some of those questions. And when the investigation comes out, we should have some answers as to what the officers are observing, why shots were fired, what they saw and why it was necessary at the moment with these individuals in line.”
The four officers involved in the June 29th incident were placed on administrative following the shooting and have not yet returned to duty.
Gregory Hoyt is a former contributor to outlets such as Law Enforcement Today and Red Voice Media, and current host of The Breakdown with Greg Hoyt. Based out of Sierra Vista, Arizona, Hoyt is a staunch and outspoken advocate of law enforcement and first responders, while also harboring the unique experience of having spent nearly 5 years in prison. Since then, he's used his unique perspective to offer support and commentary about the criminal justice system. When not working or combating bad ideas, Hoyt also leisurely studies economics, history, and law.