Albuquerque's Police Oversight Commission is meeting for the
first time since a fatal shooting by APD officers on March 5.
Police said the man they shot was facing officers with a gun
with his finger on the trigger. They plan to discuss how to handle
investigations for shootings by APD officers.
Previously, the district attorney's office would conduct
grand jury investigations to determine whether there was probably cause for
criminal charges in shootings by APD officers.
In 2012, the DA's office suspended the grand juries after a
series of questions about their efficacy. And in Jan. 2013, Bernalillo County
District Court Judges suspended them officially, saying the juries
"appeared to" lack impartiality and legal authority.
The meeting will address all shootings, including the most
recent March 5 deadly shooting.
On March 5, three officers shot 41-year-old Parrish Denison.
Denison, along with a woman who was later taken into custody, was attempting to
sell stolen musical instruments to a store. The owner of the store called
police and the pair fled, along with a third suspect who was waiting in a
truck. Denison fled on food and was armed, causing APD to secure the area and
pursue Denison. They said they used all non-lethal measures possible first and
shot him when he was a direct danger.
The meeting is also the first since Albuquerque's City
Council took final action on a resolution to overhaul the commission,
addressing accessibility for public comment and attempting to make the
commission's processes more transparent.