More details are emerging about an officer-involved shooting at the Cora Vista Apartments last Thursday, July 21, that left one man dead and several wounded.
Last Thursday, Albuquerque Police Department officers responded to an emergency call at 10600 Cibola Loop. When officers responded, they found a 43-year-old man in the midst of a mental health crisis.
Chief Harold Medina said, “It seemed like he was having some kind of paranoia over some mail that he received and some stressors in life or he had recently quit his job and it was causing some stress also within the relationship.”
According to APD, they were unable to offer much assistance because they currently lack the authority to intervene in mental health crises.
Medina told KOB-TV, “The individual was not suicidal and we had no legal authority to transport this individual up to get any kind of help. They didn’t give them information on services and how they could help themselves.”
The next day, officers responded to a shooting and domestic dispute at the same address. When they arrived, the man fired on the officers. Officers returned fire and the man was killed.
On Monday, APD identified the man shot as Wendel Tagle.
“We’re not the only city going through this throughout the country,” Medina said in a news update. “We’re in a mental health crisis. We know that the pandemic has left people in vulnerable spots and that their mental health suffered during this time frame,” Medina said.
The investigation into the shooting continues.
For the initial report on the shooting, click here.
This story was written by Neighborhood Journal contributor Taylor Hood.
