New Mexico officers ask man multiple times to share name

By Sasha Lenninger

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    ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — The Albuquerque Police Department has shared new body camera video from a deadly police shooting on Oct. 18.

Officers and code enforcement were called to Tewa Lodge on Central Avenue to help the owner. APD officers and Code Enforcement began making contact with occupants, telling them they needed to move their items and get out of the rooms.

One of the occupants was Matthew Garcia. He was detained in the back of a police car, after investigators said he refused to give officers his name and began banging his head on the window of the police car.

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, APD released one new body camera video. It is from an officer who’s had multiple interactions with Garcia. Video shows him talking to Garcia and asking him to cooperate and not lie to officers about who he is.

Timeline of events on Oct. 18.

Around 11:15 a.m., APD’s Proactive Response Team started talking to occupants. At about 11:30 a.m., an officer tried to speak with a man and woman inside Unit #20. According to APD, he questioned why officers asked him to exit the room. He and a woman exited the room. Officers said they noticed a green pill bottle hanging on a chain around the man’s neck.

At 11:32 a.m., the man allegedly told officers his name is Jose Garcia. After running the name through their database, officers realized he was lying and concealing his identity. One officer said the man was making her nervous, so she decided to detain him in handcuffs.

At 11:38 a.m., the man was detained and got agitated. Officers decided to place him in the back of a police car. A minute later, officers walk the man to the back of a police car. That’s when video showed him banging his head on the window of the police car. One officer puts her hand between his head and the car’s window. The man was then placed in the back of the police car, where he refused to sit up. Instead, body camera video shows him lying down as officers ask him to please cooperate.

At 11:40 a.m., officers try and de-escalate the situation. For 12 minutes, they talked to the man, who eventually said he was going to kill himself.

Twelve minutes later, officers allow the man to smoke a cigarette. They also spoke to the woman who was also inside Unit #20. After talking with her, they discovered the man’s real identity through a nickname she provided. His name is Matthew Garcia.

At 12:09 p.m., while officers waited to see if the 39-year-old had warrants, officers removed the green pill bottle necklace he was wearing. Video showed Garcia claiming his mother’s ashes were inside. But officers believe fentanyl pills were being hidden in the bottle. Also in body camera video, you can hear an officer say she hasn’t searched Garcia yet, but he is moving a lot.

At 12:17 p.m., officers confirmed that Garcia had three felony warrants and decided they would take him to jail. An officer is heard on body camera video saying Garcia has a lot of bulges in his clothing, and they believe he has something under it.

Two minutes later, officers open the door to the police car and ask Garcia to step out.

“You guys really don’t want to do this,” Garcia said to officers.

Seconds later, an officer realizes Garcia has something in his hands. When asked what it is, Garcia told them it was a gun.

Body camera video shows officers trying to take the gun from Garcia, but he resists. Three officers try and take possession of Garcia’s gun. Eventually, two officers fire their weapons, shooting 11 rounds.

Garcia eventually died at the scene.

According to APD, one officer grabbed Garcia’s gun, pushing it away. He claimed it was pointed at another officer. Another officer told investigators he felt Garcia’s finger on the trigger and saw the barrel of the firearm move in the direction of another officer. A third officer also said she tried to pull the gun from Garcia and feared for her life.

One officer who fired his weapon has been involved in two prior officer-involved shootings. The second officer has never been involved in an officer-involved shooting. Both have been with APD since 2021.

Investigators say Garcia was in possession of a loaded firearm and inside Unit #20, they discovered ammunition. Garcia is a felon and shouldn’t be in possession of either item. Also, inside the pill bottle, officers found four pills believed to be fentanyl.

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