Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Melanie Garcia
Age : 36
Gender : Female
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 08/14/2022
Location : 1098 Willow Way
City : Santa Fe
County : Santa Fe
State : New Mexico
Agency : Santa Fe Police Department
Officer(s) :Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Suicide
Event : Suicide under police duress
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 08/13/2022, at approximately 8:10 p.m., Santa Fe Police Department officers responded to a residence at 1098 Willow Way after receiving a request to remove 36-year-old Melanie Garcia from the property. A second call reported that Garcia had been damaging property inside the residence. When officers arrived, Garcia was no longer at the scene.
While officers remained at the residence, Garcia returned carrying a handgun. Officers gave repeated verbal commands for her to drop the weapon. During the confrontation, officers deployed a Taser. At approximately the same time, Garcia sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officers rendered aid until emergency medical personnel arrived, but Garcia died at the scene. The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau assumed responsibility for investigating the death.
Subsequent reporting clarified that Garcia was not handcuffed when she shot herself. The New Mexico State Police investigation found no evidence that officers had restrained her before the gunshot. The clarification was issued after early reporting and public speculation suggested she may have shot herself while in police custody.
The New Mexico State Police completed an independent investigation and submitted its findings to the First Judicial District Attorney for review. Public reporting located for this case did not identify any civil lawsuit filed by Garcia's family, any public release of body-camera footage, or the names of the involved officers.
