NEWS
APD: Evidence suggests man shot two others before being killed by police
A fourth man was seriously injured by a stray bullet 'possibly fired by officers,' police say
Published
Police say witness statements and video evidence suggest the man killed by police in Downtown Albuquerque late Friday may have shot two others prior to officers arriving.
Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department, said two men injured by gunfire told officers 41-year-old Stephen Griego shot them during an altercation at Central and Third. One of the men was shot in the arm and both were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Within seconds of Griego shooting the two men, several officers responding to the gunfire shot nearly a dozen times at Griego, killing him. Gallegos said one of the bullets fired by police 鈥減ossibly鈥� struck a bystander a block away, at Central and Second.
The bystander was struck in the pelvic area by a stray bullet, Gallegos said. The man spoke to detectives in the hospital after the shooting.
One of the men who was shot later told police he was attempting to intervene in an altercation between Griego and another man when Griego 鈥減ulled a handgun from his waistband,鈥� Gallegos said.
Gallegos said investigators believe neither of the two men who were shot had a firearm or other weapon.
Social media videos show one man confronting Griego and slapping him across the face. Griego can be seen pulling out a gun and firing once before being tackled by a second man. Another gunshot is heard, then a pause before a barrage of gunfire rang out as bystanders fled the area.
鈥淓vidence at the scene suggests that Griego fired two rounds,鈥� Gallegos said. He added that APD will expand on the evidence in the coming weeks during a media briefing.
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.
