Jeanine Santucci and Jessica Onsurez, USA TODAY
Fri, April 14, 2023 at 11:19 PM CDT ·4 min read
FARMINGTON, N.M. ― Police released body camera footage and 911 audio on Friday of officers fatally shooting a homeowner after they responded to the wrong house for a domestic violence call.
Farmington Police officers killed Robert Dotson, 52, when he answered the door with a handgun on April 5 at about 11:30 p.m., police initially said.
The newly released videos show the unidentified officers immediately opening fire after Dotson opened the door with the gun. Officers opened fire again after a woman was heard in the video screaming. Police previously said the woman, Dotson's wife, returned fire to the officers. She was not injured.
Their three children were upstairs, officers said in the footage. Farmington is a city of over 45,000 in the northwestern part of New Mexico, near the Colorado border.
"All of us — the men and women of the Farmington Police Department — recognize the severity of this incident," Chief Steven Hebbe said in a statement.
According to a news release from the department on Friday, additional "records and files" are expected to be released after review and redaction.
"We will do everything possible to more fully understand what transpired here. Once again, we wish to express our condolences to the Dotson family and as your chief of police, I wish to convey how very sorry I am that this tragedy occurred. We will continue to provide updates as we are able," Hebbe said.
Farmington police said Dotson's family members and their lawyers have reviewed the footage.
What body cam footage shows happened that night
New Mexico state police, who are investigating the shooting, said Farmington police got a call for a domestic violence incident at 5308 Valley View Avenue.
"Once on scene, officers mistakenly approached 5305 Valley View Avenue instead of 5308 Valley View Avenue," state police said in a statement.
The video shows three responding officers approaching a house with an address clearly posted and illuminated and knocking three times on the door. They identified themselves as Farmington police three times, the video shows.
While waiting for the door to be answered, officers asked a dispatcher to confirm the address and the dispatcher stated the number of a different home.
"Why officers approached the wrong address remains part of the ongoing investigation," Farmington police said.
Within a few minutes, Dotson is shown coming to the door with a gun.
"Hands up," an officer yells as they begin immediately firing at Dotson. The officers back up and tell dispatch a man is down in the doorway.
A few moments later, a woman's voice inside the house is heard screaming. "Oh my god!" she yells. An officer tells her to put her hands up, but then begin firing at her.
An officer can be heard telling other officers who arrived on the scene that the woman picked up the weapon Dotson was holding and pointed it at officers. Her name has not been released but she was identified by police as Dotson's wife.
The woman can be heard shouting from inside the home minutes later, "Help! Somebody shot my husband. Please! Please! My kids are upstairs."
After the initial shooting, Mr. Dotson’s wife, also armed with a handgun, fired from the doorway of the residence, state police said last week. "Once again, officer(s) fired. Once she realized that the individuals outside the residence were officers, she put the gun down and complied with the officer’s commands," state police said.
After she is taken into custody and being walked away from the house, an officer can be heard saying, "Get her in cuffs," the video shows.
Dotson's daughter called 911 after he was shot
Audio was released from a frantic 911 call one of Dotson's children made after he was shot.
"There were gunshots in my house and my dad was shot," she told a 911 operator. "My mom was screaming... I don't know if my dad's OK."
She and two other children were inside the house when their father was shot.
Who were the officers who shot Dotson?
Farmington Police Department redacted the names of the three officers involved from the released video.
The department said all three were on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues. According to a statement, two of the officers had worked in the department for five years and the third for about three years.
