ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A specialized Albuquerque police unit trained to defuse dangerous encounters with suspects battling mental illness was not used in the March 16 police shooting of a homeless man.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Barri Roberts, executive director of the Bernalillo County Forensic Intervention Consortium, said the police's Crisis Intervention Team played no role during the long standoff with 38-year-old James Boyd.
Police shot and killed Boyd in the Sandia foothills after authorities said he threatened officers and claimed he was a federal agent.
Chief Gorden Eden told reporters after the shooting that a CIT officer had tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with Boyd before the shooting.
But Roberts says police did not make a distinction between full-time CIT detectives and field officers who have completed 40 hours of CIT training.
