A long-running neighborhood feud in Albuquerque ended in a fatal police shooting on August 10, 2020. Fifty-year-old Jose Pancho Francisco Vallejos, a Hispanic man, was shot once in the chest by Lieutenant Jose Sanchez of the Albuquerque Police Department after officers responded to a confrontation on Sooner Trail N.W.

Tensions between Vallejos and the Gomez family had reportedly escalated over months after a dispute that began with a whistle. The day of the shooting included an earlier street confrontation and later an incident in which an intoxicated Vallejos reportedly pointed an AK-47 style rifle at Joshua Giacci, who was mistaken for Freddie Gomez. Giacci took cover and called 911 rather than drawing his own weapon because his nine-year-old daughter was nearby. Officers say Vallejos did not comply with commands to drop his weapon and raised a handgun toward Giacci before Lt. Sanchez fired two shots.

An autopsy found a single gunshot wound to the chest and a very high blood alcohol level. A special prosecutor reviewed reports, witness statements, and video and concluded the officer’s actions were justified; no criminal charges were filed and the case was closed. Does anyone have further details about the earlier confrontations that led to this escalation?