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Claude Trivino

Age : 40

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 02/20/2021

Location : Copper Ave NE & San Mateo Blvd NE

City : Albuquerque

County : Bernalillo

State : New Mexico

Agency : Albuquerque Police Department

Officer(s) :Christian Cordova; Jerrod Potter

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during service call

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 02/20/2021, Albuquerque police responded to reports of a man walking in active traffic lanes near Copper Avenue NE and San Mateo Boulevard NE in a high-traffic corridor. Officers located 40-year-old Claude Trivino in the roadway and initiated a street-level contact rather than disengaging and redirecting traffic. Police followed him at close range and issued verbal commands while he remained in the travel lanes. Officers stated Trivino had a knife during the encounter. Officer Christian Cordova deployed a taser which failed to incapacitate him. Police then escalated force as the interaction compressed into close distance in the roadway environment. According to APD’s official briefing and prosecutorial review, Trivino moved toward officers and threw the knife, striking Officer Jerrod Potter in the arm. Officers Cordova and Potter immediately opened fire, striking Trivino multiple times. Autopsy review documented eight gunshot wound tracks as the cause of death.
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Background context documented in prosecutorial materials shows Trivino had a prior warrant related to an order of protection and had earlier law enforcement contact tied to mental health concerns months before the incident, including an attempted transport for evaluation. Toxicology later showed the presence of multiple substances including stimulants, which authorities noted in their review but which does not independently explain the escalation sequence.
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The tactical environment is notable: police engaged a behavioral crisis scenario in an open roadway with civilian traffic exposure, used a taser as an intermediate force option, and transitioned to lethal force after the knife was thrown and an officer was struck. The encounter lasted a short duration once physical proximity was established. Lapel video was later released by the department as part of the internal and prosecutorial review process.
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Public reaction did occur. Civil rights advocates and community groups questioned the rapid escalation and called for transparency in the investigation. The case became part of broader scrutiny of Albuquerque Police Department use-of-force patterns during behavioral crisis calls during that period.
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There is no confirmed reporting of a civil settlement tied specifically to this incident located in verified sources. No publicly released evidence indicates the presence of a firearm. The call originated as a public safety/traffic hazard service response rather than a violent crime call, and the lethal force decision occurred after the close-range knife incident described in official records.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/police-release-name-of-suspect-from-saturdays-officer-involved-shooting/
https://www.kob.com/archive/apd-releases-lapel-video-of-officer-involved-shooting-that-left-one-man-dead/
https://apnews.com/article/general-news-b110ea1cfc1509cc2f3ecb51e8864d9d
https://www.cabq.gov/police/documents/apd-ois-media-briefing-616-san-mateo-ne.pdf
https://da2nd.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/C-Trevino-Statement-of-Facts.pdf