http://www.sfnewmexican.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2144&dept_id=367950&newsid=5950854&PAG=461&rfi=9
State police agent Craig Martin removes a sword from the site of Monday’s shooting. (David Kaufman/The New Mexican)
man who police say was wielding a large sword charged an officer in a Santa Fe mobile home park early Monday and was shot three times by the officer, police said. The man is in stable condition at a local hospital.
Investigators say Santa Fe County Sheriff's Sgt. Dennis O'Brien shot Walter Mitchell with a .45-caliber handgun after he refused to drop the nearly 3-foot-long sword as he approached the officer.
O'Brien hit Mitchell once in each arm and once in the lower torso.
The shooting occurred on the street in front of Mitchell's home in the 6200 block of Vuelta Ventura in the Tierra Real mobile-home park southwest of Santa Fe.
State police Lt. Robert Shilling said three deputies responded to a call at 9:56 a.m. Monday alleging that Mitchell had threatened a female neighbor with the sword. The deputies, including O'Brien, ordered Mitchell several times to drop the sword, Shilling said.
"The deputies tried calming the man down and tried talking to him," Shilling said. "He (Mitchell) advanced several times, and they (the deputies) retreated several times before any shots were fired. He just continued advancing toward (O'Brien) in a threatening manner."
Sheriff Maj. Ron Madrid said deputies have responded numerous times in the past to the same address concerning other disputes between Mitchell and his neighbors. Madrid said, however, he did not know the details of the dispute that lead to Monday morning's shooting.
When police first tried to calm Mitchell after they arrived on the scene, Shilling said, the man kneeled on the pavement on one knee, laid the sword down on the street and began praying or chanting something that police could not understand. Then the man picked up the sword and began approaching O'Brien in a "threatening manner," according to Shilling.
At least one female neighbor who did not want to be identified said she heard five shots - a claim police deny.
O'Brien has been placed on a mandatory minimum three-day administrative leave - which is standard after an officer is involved in a shooting - while the incident is being investigated, said Sheriff Ray Sisneros.
The sheriff said there is no initial indication of wrongdoing on O'Brien's part, but refused to comment on what, if any, action will be taken against the officer until the internal investigation is completed.
Shilling said it appears O'Brien's actions were justified.
Hospital spokesmen refused to confirm whether Mitchell had been admitted to the hospital, nor would they comment on his condition, but Shilling said the man was doing "pretty well" when police went to interview him in the hospital Monday afternoon.
New Mexico State Police will investigate the shooting. Mitchell had not been charged with any crimes as of late Monday.
***********************************************end.
 |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
