Death by Cop- 2024
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Elijah Hadley
Case # :597
Gender : Male
Age : 17
Race : Native American
Date : 06/25/2024
Location : US Highway 70 near mile marker 240 Mescalero Apache Reservation
City : Mescalero Apache Reservation
County : Otero
State : New Mexico
Agency : Otero County Sheriff’s Deputy
Officer(s) :Jacob Diaz-Austin
Cause of death : Gunshot
Event : Teen killed by police during pedestrian welfare check
Open records summary :
Otero County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Diaz-Austin
drove patrol late at night on June 25, 2024 on US Highway 70 after a call by a person who had driven past a boy walking in the dark and worried about his safety. The deputy spotted 17-year-old Elijah Hadley walking on the shoulder. The deputy stopped and drove toward him, yelling to show his hands. Hadley complied and tossed an object away from himself onto the ground. The officer fired 4 bullets into him. Hadley fell down to the ground and was lying in his own blood, screaming in pain and rolled over, asking the officer whether he would kill him. The officer fired another 15 bullets directly into him lying on the ground, killing him. This is a summary of the released bodycam footage.
Elijah Hadley had been on foot at the Mescalero Apache Reservation walking to his mother’s house. The object in his hand turned out to be a plastic airsoft replica. Police had initially claimed that he was armed and pointed a pistol at them. This is proven false by the bodycam which shows him tossing an object, which falls with the velocity of a very light-weight item, not consistent with a gun. He is seen tossing the object away from himself when ordered to show his hands.
Hadley fell down clutching his stomach and yelled “it is just a BB gun.” When he was lying on the ground, unarmed and severely injured, it is unclear why the officer snapped during a verbal exchange with him and fired 15 more bullets into his body. He was found to have been hit by a total of 19 bullets on autopsy. The deputy did not render aid or help him and watched him die for several minutes.
The family, as well as the public were told that he had pointed a gun at the deputy, which is inconsistent with the bodycam footage.
Three months after the killing, the officer has not been charged and the local population, particularly the Native American community, has been vocally protesting in nearby Alamogordo.
Three months after the killing, it is known only that the deputy had been on paid administrative leave but the sheriff’s office refused to answer whether the deputy is still on paid leave or back on patrol.
This page will be updated when more information becomes available.
Source links :
Bodycam:
https://www.ktsm.com/news/teen-holding-airsoft-gun-dead-in-officer-involved-shooting/
https://ladailypost.com/nmsp-investigates-officer-involved-shooting-in-otero-county/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/teen-holding-airsoft-gun-dead-181208237.html
https://patch.com/new-hampshire/concord-nh/man-gun-dies-after-officer-involved-shooting-pm-patch-nh
