Current:Home > FinanceFamily sues police after man was fatally shot by officers responding to wrong house -ProfitPioneers Hub
Family sues police after man was fatally shot by officers responding to wrong house
View
Date:2025-04-15 07:10:55
The family of a New Mexico man who was fatally shot by officers who responded to the wrong address has filed a lawsuit over what they claim were "extreme, unreasonable actions" that resulted in his death.
Three Farmington police officers who were responding to a domestic violence call around 11:30 p.m. local time on April 5 mistakenly went to the home of Robert Dotson -- approaching house number 5305 instead of 5308, state police said. Body camera footage released by the police department showed the officers knocking and announcing themselves several times, then debating whether they were at the right address after getting no response.
As the officers were leaving, Dotson opened his screen door armed with a handgun. The officers opened fire, striking Dotson 12 times, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed Friday. He was later pronounced dead at the scene.
After the initial shooting, according to the complaint, Dotson's wife fired from the doorway not knowing who had shot her husband, with officers returning fire. Neither she nor the officers were harmed. She was not charged with a crime, state police said.
The lawsuit alleges that the city failed to properly train the officers in use of force, and that the three officers "acted unreasonably" and "applied excessive, unnecessary force." It also alleges they deprived Dotson, a father of two, of his state constitutional rights, including the right to enjoy life and liberty.
MORE: New Mexico officers kill homeowner in exchange of gunfire while responding to wrong address
"Legally, he was deprived of his life and liberty. His heirs were deprived of his love, affection, income," Doug Perrin, one of the attorneys representing the family, told Albuquerque ABC affiliate KOAT.
The complaint alleges the officers did not announce themselves loudly enough. From the second floor of the house, Dotson and his wife allegedly did not hear police announce themselves, only a possible knock at the door, at which point Dotson put on a robe to go answer.
"Mr. Dotson went downstairs, he got a pistol off of the refrigerator because he didn't know who was behind the door. And when he opened the door, all hell broke loose," Thomas Clark, another attorney representing the Dotson family, told KOAT.
The complaint also claimed that officers handcuffed and took Dotson's wife and their two children to be questioned, "rather than acknowledging their error or attempting to protect and console" them.
Luis Robles, an attorney for the city of Farmington and the three officers, confirmed that they were initially placed in handcuffs but did not know for how long.
The complaint, which is seeking unspecified punitive damages, names the city of Farmington and the three officers -- Daniel Estrada, Dylan Goodluck and Waylon Wasson -- as defendants.
Robles said the officers "had no choice but to use deadly force to defend themselves" when Dotson pointed a gun at them.
"While this incident was tragic, our officers' actions were justified," Robles, said in a statement to ABC News. "On that night and always, we strive to do what is right, and we will always remain committed to the safety and well-being of our community."
All three officers remain employed by the city as police officers, Robles said.
State police turned over their investigation into the shooting to the New Mexico Attorney General's Office in May. ABC News has reach out to the office for more information.
veryGood! (13)
Related
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Animal cruelty charges spur calls for official’s resignation in Pennsylvania county
- Why Sydney Sweeney Wanted a Boob Job in High School
- North Korea and Russia clash with US, South Korea and allies over Pyongyang’s latest missile launch
- FBI: California woman brought sword, whip and other weapons into Capitol during Jan. 6 riot
- Wisconsin man faces homicide charges after alleged drunken driving crash kills four siblings
- 13,000 people watched a chair fall in New Jersey: Why this story has legs (or used to)
- Pistons are woefully bad. Their rebuild is failing, their future looks bleak. What gives?
- Breaking debut in Olympics raises question: Are breakers artists or athletes?
- Georgia man imprisoned for hiding death of Tara Grinstead pleads guilty in unrelated rape cases
Ranking
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- How that (spoiler!) cameo in Trevor Noah’s new Netflix special came to be
- UN Security Council in intense negotiations on Gaza humanitarian resolution, trying to avoid US veto
- China’s earthquake survivors endure frigid temperatures and mourn the dead
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Fantasy football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: 16 players to start or sit in Week 16
- China’s earthquake survivors endure frigid temperatures and mourn the dead
- Céline Dion lost control over her muscles amid stiff-person syndrome, her sister says
Recommendation
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
Aaron Rodgers indicates he won't return this season, ending early comeback bid from torn Achilles
Ex-Proud Boys leader is sentenced to over 3 years in prison for Capitol riot plot
Minnesota's new state flag design is finalized
'Meet me at the gate': Watch as widow scatters husband's ashes, BASE jumps into canyon
More than 2,000 mine workers extend underground protest into second day in South Africa
Madonna Reveals She Was in an Induced Coma From Bacterial Infection in New Health Update
Germany protests to Iran after a court ruling implicates Tehran in a plot to attack a synagogue