CRIME
APD shoots, injures man wielding knife at motel
Tuesday night's incident marks fourth sa国际传媒官网网页入口 police shooting in 10 days
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sa国际传媒官网网页入口 police shot and injured a man who was reportedly wielding a knife during a law enforcement operation Tuesday night in Northeast sa国际传媒官网网页入口.
sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Police Department Chief Cecily Barker said officers were conducting a proactive crime operation at an extended-stay motel near Osuna and Jefferson in response to a spike in aggravated assaults in the area when they contacted a man in his 30s.
"As they were speaking to him, he got up and fled," Barker said during a Tuesday night news briefing. "Officers advised him to stop and, at one point, he turned around and had a knife in his hands."
Barker said the man, who was not identified Tuesday, walked toward an officer while holding the knife as officers repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon at about 8:30 p.m.
At least one officer opened fire, striking the man at least once, she said. The man was taken to a hospital, and his condition was not immediately known.
"We believe that he had two felony warrants out for his arrest," Barker said.
Tuesday's shooting was the fourth involving APD in the past 10 days and the second in less than a week involving a person reportedly armed with a knife. Barker said she was concerned about the series of shootings in recent days.
"Usually, we have an officer-involved shooting review every six months," she said. "We are going to move that up so we can look at any trends that we're seeing within the police department and what we can do to address them."
Barker said she remains committed to transparency and urged anyone with questions or concerns to contact APD.
"We want to remain transparent, and we will provide information as it is available," she said. "We are here to protect the community, and it's unfortunate that these events happen."
Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.
