New Mexico State Police released body camera footage that captured the moment when two officers were wounded and came under fire by a gunman wearing body armor during a domestic disturbance in August.
By Joe Vince for Officer.com
The incident happened shortly after 12:30 a.m. Aug. 28 when Roswell police responded to a report of a 29-year-old man—identified as Dakota Perkins—threatening to kill himself inside a home, the New Mexico State Police stated in a news release at the time. The agency released video footage from the shooting and standoff Monday.
During the call, a woman who was in the house with two children told dispatchers that Perkins had been drinking and was suicidal, according to KQRE-TV. She warned that Perkins, who had locked himself in a bedroom, was armed with dozens of guns and wearing a bulletproof vest and gas mask.
When police reached the scene, Perkins—who had a flash grenade and Tannerite—opened fire. New Mexico State Police and Chaves County sheriff’s deputies arrived immediately after as Perkins continued shooting.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, Perkins fired over 100 rounds, and the gunfire was so intense that it had officers pinned down at times.
Roswell Police Officer Conner Watkins and Chaves County Sheriff’s Deputy Lorenzo Salas were wounded by Perkins’ gunfire. Shots also struck multiple structures and vehicles.
When Perkins was wounded in the exchange, he began negotiating with Roswell police. He told officers he had already pulled the pin from the flash grenade and needed to detonate it to get rid of it.
Once the flash grenade exploded, negotiators convinced Perkins to drop his weapons, remove his body armor and surrender to authorities. He was taken into custody and treated at a hospital.
Perkins faces multiple charges, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to commit a violent felony upon a peace officer.
Find the original article in its entirety on Officer.com.
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