Anti Federalist
08-29-2014, 10:51 AM
Family of Bloomfield man shot by police claims shooting was unprovoked
http://www.daily-times.com/four_corners-news/ci_26425361/family-bloomfield-man-shot-by-police-claims-shooting
28 August 2014
BLOOMFIELD — The family of a man fatally shot by Bloomfield police said on Thursday that the officers rushed onto the property without knocking on the door and did not immediately provide medical assistance to the wounded man, who was unarmed.
Police said they were responding to a domestic dispute call on Wednesday morning and were confronted by a man with a deadly weapon. John J. Rogers, of Bloomfield, was pronounced dead late Wednesday morning in the San Juan Regional Medical Center emergency room. A police spokesman said the officers were not injured.
New Mexico State Police officials are tasked with investigating the officer-involved shooting.
"We are not commenting on what the family is saying," said state police Lt. Emmanuel Gutierrez. "We don't do that. We comment on our investigation, and that is it."
Gutierrez said Thursday morning that no new information was available regarding the investigation. In a press release, Gutierrez said more information will be provided once the involved officers have been interviewed.
Bloomfield Police Chief Randy Foster confirmed Thursday that two Bloomfield police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Foster said he could not comment on the state police department's investigation, but he added that he brought in an outside agency to provide a thorough, unbiased investigation "that people can be confident in."
Rogers' family — comprised of 18 grandchildren, four children, one sister, three brothers, many nieces and nephews and his wife of 40 years — is angry about the shooting.
Billie Rogers, John Rogers' wife, denies she called police about a domestic disturbance at the household, located at 414 Ruth Lane. The family also denies John Rogers was armed.
Abe Rogers, John Rogers' brother, said that a family member had called a friend during a "squabble" at the house Wednesday morning.
He said he believes that friend called the Bloomfield Police Department.
"I was in the house cleaning, and my husband was in the garage working on his motorcycle," Billie Rogers said. "I saw a cop car pull up on the side, and I saw another one. They were heading everywhere. I heard a boom, and I heard another boom."
The family said the officers did not provide medical assistance to the 61-year-old Native-American man after he was shot.
"There are still some good police officers, but there are a lot that are corrupt," daughter Dana Davila said. "It's a sign of the times — police brutality has gone viral."
A makeshift memorial sits outside the family's home and the family held a candlelight vigil Thursday evening.
The vigil was preceded by a barbecue, where friends and family of John Rogers gathered together for food and comfort. Rebecca Medina, John Rogers' daughter, said it was a proper memorial for a man who spent so many hours on the road.
"He would get off the road and he would call everyone up and say, 'let's have a barbecue,'" she said.
John Rogers' son, Jonathan Rogers Jr., showed family and friends a bullet hole in his father's truck. He said it was an errant shot fired by one of the officers.
"They said there was a struggle, and the officer pulled out his gun and shot him in the head," Rogers said. "While he was still gurgling, they put their cold, steel boots to his neck."
Rogers said that the information was provided to him by detectives from the New Mexico State Police Department and his mother. He said one officer shot his father in the head and the other officer, still near his squad car at the end of the driveway, fired a round from his shotgun.
http://www.daily-times.com/four_corners-news/ci_26425361/family-bloomfield-man-shot-by-police-claims-shooting
28 August 2014
BLOOMFIELD — The family of a man fatally shot by Bloomfield police said on Thursday that the officers rushed onto the property without knocking on the door and did not immediately provide medical assistance to the wounded man, who was unarmed.
Police said they were responding to a domestic dispute call on Wednesday morning and were confronted by a man with a deadly weapon. John J. Rogers, of Bloomfield, was pronounced dead late Wednesday morning in the San Juan Regional Medical Center emergency room. A police spokesman said the officers were not injured.
New Mexico State Police officials are tasked with investigating the officer-involved shooting.
"We are not commenting on what the family is saying," said state police Lt. Emmanuel Gutierrez. "We don't do that. We comment on our investigation, and that is it."
Gutierrez said Thursday morning that no new information was available regarding the investigation. In a press release, Gutierrez said more information will be provided once the involved officers have been interviewed.
Bloomfield Police Chief Randy Foster confirmed Thursday that two Bloomfield police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Foster said he could not comment on the state police department's investigation, but he added that he brought in an outside agency to provide a thorough, unbiased investigation "that people can be confident in."
Rogers' family — comprised of 18 grandchildren, four children, one sister, three brothers, many nieces and nephews and his wife of 40 years — is angry about the shooting.
Billie Rogers, John Rogers' wife, denies she called police about a domestic disturbance at the household, located at 414 Ruth Lane. The family also denies John Rogers was armed.
Abe Rogers, John Rogers' brother, said that a family member had called a friend during a "squabble" at the house Wednesday morning.
He said he believes that friend called the Bloomfield Police Department.
"I was in the house cleaning, and my husband was in the garage working on his motorcycle," Billie Rogers said. "I saw a cop car pull up on the side, and I saw another one. They were heading everywhere. I heard a boom, and I heard another boom."
The family said the officers did not provide medical assistance to the 61-year-old Native-American man after he was shot.
"There are still some good police officers, but there are a lot that are corrupt," daughter Dana Davila said. "It's a sign of the times — police brutality has gone viral."
A makeshift memorial sits outside the family's home and the family held a candlelight vigil Thursday evening.
The vigil was preceded by a barbecue, where friends and family of John Rogers gathered together for food and comfort. Rebecca Medina, John Rogers' daughter, said it was a proper memorial for a man who spent so many hours on the road.
"He would get off the road and he would call everyone up and say, 'let's have a barbecue,'" she said.
John Rogers' son, Jonathan Rogers Jr., showed family and friends a bullet hole in his father's truck. He said it was an errant shot fired by one of the officers.
"They said there was a struggle, and the officer pulled out his gun and shot him in the head," Rogers said. "While he was still gurgling, they put their cold, steel boots to his neck."
Rogers said that the information was provided to him by detectives from the New Mexico State Police Department and his mother. He said one officer shot his father in the head and the other officer, still near his squad car at the end of the driveway, fired a round from his shotgun.