NEWS
Records shed light on fatal shooting by several BCSO deputies on federal task force
Shooting marked the second time deputies shot someone while working under Operation Triple Beam
Seven months ago, a federal task force made up mostly of Bernalillo County deputies shot and killed a man in Albuquerque鈥檚 International District during a crime-fighting operation, according to reports recently obtained by the Journal.
Unlike past deputy shootings, the Bernalillo County Sheriff鈥檚 Office never held a briefing and has not released any information on the incident, including how many deputies opened fire or what led up to the shooting.
BCSO spokeswoman Jayme Gonzales said previously that because both shootings were under Operation Triple Beam, no briefings would be planned.
Lapel footage and supplemental reports obtained by the Journal through the Inspection of Public Records Act filled in many of the blanks on the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Marc Dutch.
According to the reports, seven deputies 鈥 Ian Dunbar, Cutter Pryde, Mitchell Skroch, Tyler Sanchez-Mirabal, Jeshua Reaser, Dusti Walker and Adrian Velasquez 鈥 opened fire after a foot chase with Dutch, who was armed with a gun.
The shooting marked the second time deputies shot someone while working with federal agencies in Operation Triple Beam, which began in November.
Gonzales declined to answer questions and referred the Journal to the U.S. Marshals Service.
鈥淎s you are aware, this shooting involved USMS deputized individuals in support of USMS Operation OTB/Shadow Break,鈥 she said. 鈥淭herefore, these questions will need to be directed to the US Marshals Service.鈥
Marshals Service spokesperson Juan Miranda also declined to answer any questions.
鈥淭his is still an ongoing investigation and the USMS is not at liberty to answer any of your inquiries at this time,鈥 Miranda said in an email.
Deputy Noah Chavez in lapel footage said that deputies attempted a traffic stop around 6 p.m. and pulled Dutch over in the 300 block of Virginia NE, just southwest of Wyoming and Copper, after he drove through multiple stop signs.
Deputies asked Dutch if he had any weapons. Lapel footage showed Dutch put his hands into his overall pockets before running, with deputies chasing him through an apartment complex.
About 10 minutes later, deputies found Dutch hiding in the side yard of a house less than a block away, on Wisconsin Street.
Lapel footage showed over a dozen law enforcement officers with their guns drawn, telling Dutch to put his hands in the air or he would be shot. Supplemental reports state a total of 16 law enforcement officers were present at the time of the shooting.
For roughly one minute, deputies argued with each other over whether the item in Dutch鈥檚 hand was a cellphone or a gun.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a phone. I think it鈥檚 a phone, guys. I can鈥檛 tell what it is,鈥 one deputy said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a gun,鈥 another said, shouting, 鈥淒rop the gun!鈥
Moments later, according to lapel video, one shot rang out, followed by a barrage of gunfire as deputies shot at Dutch. It is unclear who fired the first shot, but a supplemental report states that Dutch was found with a loaded gun near his body.
It is unclear from lapel footage whether Dutch was holding the gun or if he pointed it at deputies. A BCSO report states there were 鈥渁pproximately 10-15鈥 gunshots.
Deputies deployed a noise-flash diversionary device, also known as a flashbang, and sent a dog to check and see if Dutch was alive, according to the lapel footage. Emergency medical service workers arrived sometime later and declared Dutch dead.
A few minutes after the shooting, a deputy could be seen on lapel video asking how many officers had opened fire. Seven raised their hands.
Lapel video showed one deputy state, 鈥淒o I stay hot or?鈥 appearing to ask if he should keep his body camera on. Another deputy responds, 鈥淪tay hot for now, just don鈥檛 say anything about this and we鈥檒l just stand by here.鈥
In a subsequent interview with the Multi-Agency Task Force, Velasquez 鈥 who has been with the department for five years 鈥 said he saw Dutch point a gun at deputies and decided to 鈥渆ngage the subject.鈥
鈥淚 heard a gunshot go off,鈥 Velasquez said in the video interview. 鈥淭o me, it was unknown if it was the subject or another deputy.鈥
When an investigator asked why Velasquez did not employ any less-lethal munition, he said that he 鈥渄id not think about utilizing a Taser on someone who was pointing a gun at me.鈥
Sanchez-Mirabal, in a separate video interview, said he opened fire after confirming that Dutch had a gun in his hand.
鈥淚 saw the male turn the gun at a side profile and I did recognize that it was for sure 100% a handgun,鈥 he said. 鈥淎t that time, that鈥檚 when I decided to discharge two rounds from my firearm.鈥
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.