On Friday, June 5, protesters and relatives of Jose Armas and Robert Salas — who were both fatally shot by Albuquerque Police Department officers the week prior — gathered and marched from Robinson Park to APD’s headquarters.
Protesters called for “justice” for Salas and Armas, along with others who have been killed by APD officers in recent years. The march concluded with a vigil on the staircase of the APD headquarters, during which family members spoke to participants, calling for the release of all body camera footage and for police to handle mental health crises differently.
Salas’ girlfriend Monique Beauchemin, said her boyfriend was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of his death, and that they both had previously tried to seek help for him from police earlier that month.
Salas, 35, was killed on May 29 at an abandoned Walgreens on Central Avenue and San Mateo Boulevard.
“It just feels defeating, that when we reach out to the community or to our police officers for help, that instead they rather target us, chase us down, and murder,” Beauchemin said.
The 58 seconds of body camera footage that APD released shows two officers telling Salas to stop moving and put down the knife that he was carrying while standing behind a pillar outside the building. Moments later, Salas can be seen running toward one officer who then fires four shots at him, causing him to fall to the ground and drop the knife.
Beauchemin said she wishes there was more awareness within the police department — ahead of an incident — of families being involved in trying to help relatives experiencing mental health crises.
“Oftentimes we're the ones helping them before the police ever arrive, and we're trying. We're trying to help,” Beauchemin said. “He did not deserve to die at 35.”
Beauchemin said Salas was interested in helping people with their sobriety, especially young men in the juvenile system.
“That is the population that we really need to focus on now, is our young juvenile men who are facing this,” Beauchemin said. “Robert did, my brother did, at a young age, at 13, starting to face the system. And they were pipelined right into the prison, and they were now treated as slaves and hunted down and murdered right in our streets.”
Sara Houliston, a cousin of Armas, who was fatally shot by police on May 26, said she was out of town at the time of the shooting but got a call from Armas’ mother.
“My tia, his mom, called me on FaceTime from the corner house right after they shot him, and she was still watching, waiting for his body to come out,” Houliston said.
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Two days later, APD released body camera footage of the incident moments before Armas was shot on Eighth Street and Bellamah Avenue. Footage shows officers taking cover behind a police car after the sound of gunshots, which one officer says came from Armas, who was in his apartment.
Houliston said family members found out about what happened to Armas through local media, not the police.
According to Houliston, Armas was “experiencing a mental health crisis” and “needed help.”
In a statement to the Daily Lobo regarding APD’s knowledge of the individuals’ mental health, APD Communications Director Gilbert Gallegos wrote that “it’s important to avoid assumptions” about actions that led to the shootings.
According to Gallegos, investigations of the incidents will take place over the next several months and detectives will interview witnesses and complete forensic tests.
“After the investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office to make any determination of criminal charges,” Gallegos wrote.
Gallegos also wrote that APD’s Internal Affairs Force Division will investigate the shootings to determine whether the department’s policies were followed and APD’s Force Review Board will review the incidents to identify trends and potential policy changes that may be needed.
When it comes to APD’s current tactics for those experiencing mental health crises, Gallegos wrote that “all officers are trained in crisis intervention; most officers have enhanced crisis intervention training” and that the department has “both Mobile Crisis Teams and a successful Crisis Intervention Unit that regularly engages with people experiencing mental illness and behavioral health issues.”
Arthur Bell, a father of two and local activist, said he showed up to support the march to “let the families know they’re not alone.”
“It's rare that a police officer gets charged and actually goes to jail for the crime,” Bell said.
Bell said New Mexico State Police killed his younger brother 13 years ago in Albuquerque.
“APD, put your guns up, use another tactic,” Bell said. ”If you can't stop a person who has a butter knife, I don't think you should be a cop, maybe you should get a different profession.”
Leila Chapa is the social media and photo editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the news and multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa88
Leila Chapa is the photo editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
