Video shows police response following deadly hotel shooting

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Newly-released video shows the moments when police confronted a man who they say was caught on camera killing an Albuquerque security guard.

This exercise by APD is meant to show transparency when officers use deadly force. In this case, however, the suspect is not dead. They arrested Donovan Bookout, who remains behind bars.

The security camera footage is from the hallway of the Ambassador Inn on Candelaria off I-40. The video shows Heath Mora, the security guard, in the hallway. Bookout walks in, wearing a white hoodie, and the two make eye contact. Everything seems fine, until Bookout pulls out a gun and shoots Mora several times.

Bookout then runs out the door – gun in hand. Mora died from his wounds.

Albuquerque police officers were patrolling the area when they drove up to the homicide. They even saw Bookout carjack someone near the hotel.

“As police try to stop that vehicle, the vehicle fled and struck a police unit,” APD Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock said. “The vehicle continued to drive, officers gave commands for the driver to surrender, which he did not.”

Bookout took off but stopped eventually – the truck stalls – and then he’s able to take off once again. Bookout drives to a nearby parking lot, gets out of the car, and opens fire. Officers fire back.

The video shows Bookout running as he is shooting back. While police said he wasn’t hit, he goes down – dropping the gun – as police come up to arrest him.

Bookout remains in custody at this time. The court just ordered a mental competency hearing for him.

In another shooting Bookout was reportedly involved in, he was ruled incompetent to stand trial and the charges were dismissed.