New Mexico police kill homeowner after showing up at wrong address

Officers with the Farmington police department of north-western New Mexico shot and killed a homeowner when they showed up at the wrong address in response to a domestic violence call this week, according to state authorities.

The shooting happened about 11.30pm Wednesday. New Mexico state police released more details late on Thursday, and Farmington police confirmed on Friday that the three officers involved were on paid administrative leave pending a review of the case.

State police said the woman had put down her gun after realizing the individuals outside her home were police officers.

The case comes amid an ongoing reckoning across the country over the use of force by law enforcement officers. Most recently, the US justice department opened a civil rights investigation after a federal park service police officer in Washington fatally shot a 17-year-old who drove off with an officer in the back seat after being found asleep in a suspected stolen car.

In Farmington, the officers had initially knocked on the front door of the wrong home and announced themselves as police officers. When there was no answer, they asked dispatchers to call the reporting party back and have them come to the front door.

Dotson, 52, was pronounced dead at the scene.

When asked about the initial report of domestic violence that came from a home across the street, a Farmington police spokesperson, Shanice Gonzales, said no action had been taken against any of the parties in that case and that no one had been armed at that address.

The shooting remains under investigation. The state police investigations bureau said any findings would be shared with New Mexico prosecutors for further review.