(NewsNation) — Police body camera footage shows the moments three police officers in Farmington, New Mexico, went to the wrong address and fatally shot the homeowner — an incident Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe calls “tragic.”
According to New Mexico State Police, Farmington officers responded to a domestic violence call at around 11:30 p.m. April 5. Investigators say the officers were supposed to go to 5308 Valley View Ave., but accidentally showed up at 5305 Valley View Ave.
After announcing their presence, police say the homeowner, Robert Dotson, 52, came to his front door with a handgun. That’s when the officers shot Dotson.
Authorities say Dotson’s wife, who can be heard screaming and crying on the body camera footage, came to the doorway and shot at officers, who returned fire. When she realized the people outside were officers, state police say she dropped her weapon and complied.
Robert Dotson died after the shooting. Dotson’s wife was not physically hurt. No officers were injured.
“The whole event is very tragic, and I said that from the start of it,” Hebbe told NewsNation host Dan Abrams on Monday evening. “I’m not sure how the officers arrived at the address that they did.”
The unidentified officers have since been placed on paid administrative leave.
“What I would say is, as the video shows, when the homeowner shows up, opens the door, he has the gun in his hand. It’s not particularly unusual for us in New Mexico. We’re an open carry state, and we have lots of armed folks, especially in San Juan County where we’re more rural. The Second Amendment is big here,” Hebbe said. “But as you can see in the video, when he raises the gun up and points it at the officers, that’s when the officers respond. I would say the timing on this is very short. They only have a few split seconds to make a decision.”
Hebbe said he is not suggesting that Dotson was in the wrong in the situation, adding: “I viewed the entire event as just tragic, terrible.”
According to Hebbe, police ended up responding to the correct address, where they filed a report but did not make any arrests.
He says the entire police department is taking the incident very hard.
“(It was) a very bad day for us as a community to be in this set of circumstances,” Hebbe said.
He continued: “I think people deserve to hear from the chief during tough times, not just good times. We came out very quickly and stated that we were at the wrong address.”
The deadly shooting is under investigation by New Mexico State Police.