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Juan James Cordova

Gender : Male

Age : 51

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 04/16/2021

Location : Coyote Canyon Place and Sand Springs Road NW

City : Albuquerque

County : Bernalillo

State : New Mexico

Agency : Albuquerque Police Department

Officer(s) :Officer Bryce Willsey

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during mental health crisis

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On April 16, 2021, Albuquerque Police Department officers responded to a domestic dispute at a residence on Coyote Canyon Place NW in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Juan James Cordova, 51, was reportedly armed and had fired a shot inside the house and was in mental health crisis per his girlfriend. Officers spent approximately an hour attempting to negotiate with Cordova, urging him to surrender peacefully.
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Despite negotiations, Cordova remained uncooperative, holding a firearm and making statements suggesting he intended to provoke a lethal response from the police. At one point, he fired a round, which passed through a window and struck a neighbor's house. When Cordova allegedly pointed his firearm at the officers, Officer Bryce Willsey opened fire and killed him.
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Officer Willsey, a member of the Albuquerque Police Department since 2015, had been involved in three prior officer-involved shootings before this incident. In October 2023, Cordova's family filed a lawsuit against the city of Albuquerque and Officer Willsey, alleging excessive force and claiming that Cordova was experiencing a mental health crisis and his death had been avoidable.

SOURCE LINKS :

1. https://www.koat.com/article/apd-releases-body-cam-and-ring-cam-video-of-shooting/36703283
2. https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/apd-releases-details-in-april-officer-involved-shooting/
3. https://apnews.com/article/nm-state-wire-albuquerque-shootings-0a3b14bd63dd9410604952bd7c643ce1