- 04 Feb 2024 01:47
#15303546
Police shot and killed an innocent man just because the homeowner was holding a gun when he opened his front door. Police were responding to a call but had arrived at the wrong address.
Robert Dotson, 52, did not know it was police at the door when they came to his house shortly before midnight, in response to a domestic violence call. But it was the wrong house.
While police were in front of the home arguing about whether they had the correct address, the homeowner opened his front door. Three police officers opened fire on Dotson.
It seems that Dotson had no indication that the men outside his home were police officers.
The address of the house was 5305 Valley View Ave. It happened in Farmington, New Mexico, on April 5, 2023.
The correct house, which police were supposed to respond to, was 5308 Valley View, across the street on the left, and was actually pointed out that night by police officer Dylon Goodluck, in a video captured by the family's Ring doorbell camera.
The officer who led the other two officers through the gate and to Dotson's front door, was identified as Waylon Wasson.
Dotson family expresses anger, calls for police reform in Farmington, by Debra Mayeux, Tri-City Record, The Durango Herald, Friday, April 21, 2023
The authorities have decided it was an accident and that no one was criminally at fault.
Just imagine if a private citizen shot a police officer just because that officer was holding a gun! We all know that private citizen would almost certainly end up being criminally charged with murder. So there is a clear double standard.
However, I do feel sympathy for those police officers. They are not "murderers" in my opinion. They responded to what they thought could be a domestic violence situation and assumed a violent angry suspect might have been waiting for them, perhaps willing to shoot responding police officers before they could arrest him. Officers often do not have the luxury of time to think, they have to immediately respond to possible threats. Holding a gun when police arrive, responding to possible crime situation can often result in that person being shot.
New Mexico will not charge police officers who fatally shot man at wrong address, Mike Easterling, USA Today Network, January 31, 2024
"
The New Mexico Department of Justice won't file charges against three police officers who arrived at the wrong house while responding to a domestic violence call and fatally shot the homeowner.
Greer Staley, New Mexico’s deputy attorney general for criminal affairs, said in a letter to San Juan County District Attorney Rick Tedrow that the investigation and review found that, despite approaching the wrong house, the three Farmington Police Department officers acted appropriately in the April shooting.
The findings also were based on a report provided by Seth Stoughton, a former police officer and tenured law professor at the University of South Carolina’s Joseph F. Rice School of Law. Stoughton’s report indicates he found the three Farmington officers did not use excessive force in their shooting of Robert Dotson or when they returned fire at Kimberly Dotson. He found that even though the officers approached the wrong home, their actions did not "foreseeably create an unnecessary dangerous situation," according to the letter.
"
The family of Robert Dotson is not happy.
"This horrific night that happened was like a horrible nightmare. This gross act of not being at the right address has taken everything from me. We cannot figure out how to breathe," said Kimberly Dotson, Robert Dotson's wife. She said her husband was trying to protect her and their children. "You were ambushed by a firing squad."
"Robbie never had a chance. He was never told they were there. He didn't know it was law enforcement. There is no way, shape, or form Robbie would've come to the door with a gun knowing they were law enforcement out there. He simply didn't know."
We can all debate about how to prevent tragic situations like this from happening again, but I doubt anyone has any good & simple answers.
Robert Dotson, 52, did not know it was police at the door when they came to his house shortly before midnight, in response to a domestic violence call. But it was the wrong house.
While police were in front of the home arguing about whether they had the correct address, the homeowner opened his front door. Three police officers opened fire on Dotson.
It seems that Dotson had no indication that the men outside his home were police officers.
The address of the house was 5305 Valley View Ave. It happened in Farmington, New Mexico, on April 5, 2023.
The correct house, which police were supposed to respond to, was 5308 Valley View, across the street on the left, and was actually pointed out that night by police officer Dylon Goodluck, in a video captured by the family's Ring doorbell camera.
The officer who led the other two officers through the gate and to Dotson's front door, was identified as Waylon Wasson.
Dotson family expresses anger, calls for police reform in Farmington, by Debra Mayeux, Tri-City Record, The Durango Herald, Friday, April 21, 2023
The authorities have decided it was an accident and that no one was criminally at fault.
Just imagine if a private citizen shot a police officer just because that officer was holding a gun! We all know that private citizen would almost certainly end up being criminally charged with murder. So there is a clear double standard.
However, I do feel sympathy for those police officers. They are not "murderers" in my opinion. They responded to what they thought could be a domestic violence situation and assumed a violent angry suspect might have been waiting for them, perhaps willing to shoot responding police officers before they could arrest him. Officers often do not have the luxury of time to think, they have to immediately respond to possible threats. Holding a gun when police arrive, responding to possible crime situation can often result in that person being shot.
New Mexico will not charge police officers who fatally shot man at wrong address, Mike Easterling, USA Today Network, January 31, 2024
"
The New Mexico Department of Justice won't file charges against three police officers who arrived at the wrong house while responding to a domestic violence call and fatally shot the homeowner.
Greer Staley, New Mexico’s deputy attorney general for criminal affairs, said in a letter to San Juan County District Attorney Rick Tedrow that the investigation and review found that, despite approaching the wrong house, the three Farmington Police Department officers acted appropriately in the April shooting.
The findings also were based on a report provided by Seth Stoughton, a former police officer and tenured law professor at the University of South Carolina’s Joseph F. Rice School of Law. Stoughton’s report indicates he found the three Farmington officers did not use excessive force in their shooting of Robert Dotson or when they returned fire at Kimberly Dotson. He found that even though the officers approached the wrong home, their actions did not "foreseeably create an unnecessary dangerous situation," according to the letter.
"
The family of Robert Dotson is not happy.
"This horrific night that happened was like a horrible nightmare. This gross act of not being at the right address has taken everything from me. We cannot figure out how to breathe," said Kimberly Dotson, Robert Dotson's wife. She said her husband was trying to protect her and their children. "You were ambushed by a firing squad."
"Robbie never had a chance. He was never told they were there. He didn't know it was law enforcement. There is no way, shape, or form Robbie would've come to the door with a gun knowing they were law enforcement out there. He simply didn't know."
We can all debate about how to prevent tragic situations like this from happening again, but I doubt anyone has any good & simple answers.
- By ingliz
- By Skynet