By
Anna Velasquez
ALBUQUERQUE,
N.M. —A 2012 officer-involved shooting has come under scrutiny by the Police
Oversight Commission.
Tuesday,
Robin Hammer, an independent review officer, said a cop violated policy.
Residents
called Albuquerque police Dec. 17, 2012 to report a suspected burglary. Police
learned it wasn’t a burglary, but the man inside, Christopher Sosa, was a
wanted felon.
A
SWAT team surrounded the home, but police said Sosa stole a car and tried to
escape. An officer who had been assigned to guard the outer perimeter, and had
been there for about three hours, said he saw Sosa coming toward him. That
officer opened fire on Sosa.
He
violated the Albuquerque Police Department’s use of deadly force against
vehicles policy, according to Hammer. Hammer concluded the suspect's vehicle
was traveling south on Jane Street, away from the officer, when shots were
fired.
Hammer
also said the officer’s statements directly after the shooting and months later
during an internal investigation didn’t match up.
The
officer did experience looming, however, which is the perception that the
vehicle was coming toward him when he fired at the windshield and tracked it.
This
is the first time in at least four years the POC has found an officer’s use of
deadly force to be improper, according to the Albuquerque Journal.