DA Plans to File Murder Charges against APD Cops Who Killed Homeless Man, but There's a Twist

In March 2014, two Albuquerque police officers shot James Boyd, a homeless man, in the Sandia Foothills.

Boyd, who was 36 and had schizophrenia, had been camping in a restricted area of open space at Albuquerque’s eastern edge. An area resident called police to report Boyd’s presence there.

That call resulted in a three-hour standoff, at the end of which Boyd surrendered.

But surrendering wasn’t good enough for Dominique Perez of the APD SWAT team and former detective Keith Sandy (who retired in December – with full benefits):

One officer’s helmet-mounted camera captured the final moments of the encounter, when Boyd appeared to be complying with commands to leave the area. As he bent down to gather his belongings, an officer threw a flash-bang grenade at his feet. Another officer sicced a police dog on Boyd, who pulled the knives out of his pockets again. As he was turning away from the officers, two of them fired three rounds apiece from assault-style rifles, striking Boyd in the back. (source)

Boyd died at the hospital.

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