APD: Man shot, killed by officers near Central and Tingley

By KOB

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque police shot and killed a man at The Beach apartments near Central and Tingley Friday.

APD Chief Harold Medina said officers first arrived at the scene more than an hour before the shooting, after a man reportedly called a family member saying he was planning to commit suicide. They believe he was having some sort of mental health crisis.

Medina said officers tried negotiating with him through a window for nearly 40 minutes. When they approached his front door, the suspect reportedly lunged at officers with a homemade spear several times.

Medina said officers tried tasing the man twice, before eventually shooting and killing him on a second-story balcony.

“It was found later that this individual had actually changed the status on his Facebook page earlier today, earlier in the day, to ‘professional killer,'” Medina said. “Obviously, an individual was going through some type of mental health crisis and possibly was looking for some type of suicide by cop.”

APD leaders said there’s very little information about the victim right now, but they don’t believe he’s lived in New Mexico for very long.

Despite the Facebook status, Medina said it does not appear the man was planning to hurt other people.

No officers were injured in this incident. Police advised drivers to avoid the area, but all lanes of Central have been reopened.

This is the second police shooting this week. On Tuesday, officers shot a teenager at a park near Gibson and San Pedro while trying to arrest a homicide suspect. He went to the hospital in critical condition while officers arrested the suspect they were originally looking for.

This is the fourth shooting by Albuquerque police this month.

This is a developing story. Stay with KOB 4 Eyewitness News and KOB.com for updates.