James Boyd, a 38-year-old homeless man, died in March after he was shot by a shotgun, bombarded with shots of nonlethal bean bags and was the target of flash-bang grenades following an hours-long standoff with police. The police said they were dealing with Boyd because he was breaking the law by camping in the Sandia Mountains above the city.
Video captured by officer helmet and body cams showed officers firing at the man, who had two small camping knives in his hand, when he turned his back and even while he was on the ground. As the man was face down after being shot, the authorities unleashed a police dog, which was seen mauling the victim’s leg.
Why do they call it tourist season.. if you can’t shoot them ? Is there a “homeless season ” ?
Filed under: General Problems
This is ridiculous! They had no reason to shoot the man. They had guns and he only had knives. They were far enough away that the guy with the knives posed no threat to them. They should have waited and given him lots of time to drop the knives. The next step might have been to use tear gas. And/or spray mase on him. What about a stun gun? But, there was never any reason to just shoot the man. As I see it, this was cold bloodied murder. These guys should be fired from their jobs and sent to prison. They are bloody cowards!
I was once robbed by a teenager with a butcher knife in a pharmacy. After he got far enough away from me that he could not easily reach me with the knife, I chased him down the street. Got the tag number of the get away car and he was in jail in 45 minutes. Here was a whole gang of cops afraid of one guy with a couple of knives. I would say they should be ashamed, but it goes deeper than that. They need to be imprisoned, maybe even sent to the electric chair. It is certain they have no regard for human life…none!
There were New Mexicans protesting in the streets over this case, and the tragedy of the murder of a mentally ill man who’s crime was sleeping in a national park. Sure, the feds came in and allegedly made changes in the police force…
Because of the actions of Governor Martinez, the mental health care system in this state was replaced by out-of-state providers (a thank you to political supporters), some of which are now going bankrupt. It’s a whole big mess.