Why New Mexico has one of the top rates for killings by police

April 14, 20235:03 AM ET
By
Jaclyn Diaz

Last week, officers with the Farmington, N.M., Police Department responded to a call of a domestic violence incident. Police mistakenly arrived at the wrong house and shot and killed Robert Dotson after he opened his door armed with a handgun.

New Mexico State Police are still investigating the incident, but the fatal shooting of the 52-year-old is just the latest example of police using lethal force against civilians in a state where this happens too frequently, critics say.

Home to about 2.1 million people, New Mexico has one of the highest rates of police killings per capita in the country.

Last year, 32 people — around 15 people per million — were killed by police in the state, according to data from MappingPoliceViolence.org. The project is part of Campaign Zero, a nonprofit focused on policing reform.

More:
https://www.npr.org/2023/04/14/1169480686/police-killings-new-mexico-gun-ownership