According to the US media on the 10th, recently, in Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, the SWAT team threw tear gas and other chemicals at his house during the confrontation with a suspect, trying to make the suspect surrender, but unexpectedly caused the house to catch fire. Eventually, the suspect escaped from the house with burns and was admitted to the hospital, but a 15-year-old boy with him was innocently killed.
On the 10th, the local police announced the cause of death of the teenager, saying that he died of inhaling thick smoke. Meanwhile, the local police chief admitted that "the device used to introduce irritants into the house may have contributed to the fire". At present, the local fire and rescue department is conducting an arson investigation, and since the death of the teenager occurred when the police arrested the suspect, a multi-department task force is conducting a criminal investigation, and the results of the investigation will be forwarded to the district attorney for review.
The incident sparked outrage among local people, who marched in protest, accusing police of causing the death of the boy caused by the fire and calling the SWAT team's actions "excessive killing."
Albuquerque Daily: The Albuquerque Police Department has confirmed the identity of the 15-year-old who died in a police standoff
The tragedy began on July 6, when officers at the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) were tracking down 27-year-old Qiaunt Kelley, who was wanted for an armed carjacking and probation violation. According to the city's TV station "KOB 4" reported on the 8th, on the evening of the 6th, the police tracked Kelly and a teenager to a friend's residence to pick up a bicycle.
According to a statement released by the Albuquerque Police Department on the 10th, when the detective tried to arrest Kelly, Kelly ran into the house, and the teenager, who was later identified as 15-year-old Brett Rosenau, also followed Kelly into the house, and the two hid inside and did not want to come out. Subsequently, swat officers from the Sheriff's Office in Albuquerque County, Bernalillo County, were called over, and the police spent hours trying to persuade Kelly to get out of the house, but to no avail.
According to the Albuquerque Daily news reported on the 10th, according to the police, in the next few hours, the SWAT team used tear gas and other chemicals to try to make Kelly surrender. At about 1 a.m. on the 7th, the last tear gas canister was thrown into the house. After more than an hour, smoke began to billow from the house.
The Albuquerque Fire and Rescue Center said firefighters arrived at the scene around 2.45am and as the standoff continued, Kelly was still inside the house and they were forced to extinguish the fire from outside the house and not enter the house. According to the state's "Source New Mexico" news website on the 8th, it is not clear who ordered to prevent the fire rescue team from extinguishing the fire faster or rescuing the people inside.
While the fire was still burning, Kelly escaped with burns and was taken to the hospital for treatment. After the fire was extinguished, firefighters entered the house and found that 15-year-old Rosenow was dead.
Screenshot of the "KOB 4" TV report
On the 10th, the Albuquerque Police Department announced the cause of Rosenow's death, saying that the preliminary results of the autopsy showed that Rosenow died of inhaling smoke.
As for the cause of the fire, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina admitted that "the device used to introduce irritants into the house may have caused the fire", in other words, tear gas thrown by the police may have triggered the fire. Medina also said, "If any of our actions inadvertently resulted in his (Rosenor's) death, we will take steps to ensure that this does not happen again." ”
Currently, the Albuquerque Fire and Rescue Service is conducting an arson investigation to determine the specific cause of the fire, which could take about two weeks. Before being arrested and jailed, Kelly spoke briefly with detectives but declined to answer questions about the incident or any other investigation.
Meanwhile, since Rosenow's death occurred when the police arrested the suspect, a task force of multiple departments was investigating the incident and would submit the findings to the District Attorney's Office to decide whether any criminal charges were necessary. The Albuquerque Police Department is also conducting an administrative investigation to determine whether policies were followed throughout the incident. As part of the court-approved settlement, the Albuquerque Police Department was required to report details of the investigation to the Justice Department and independent oversight bodies. The police station also promised that it would later release a video of the incident.
Separately, it's worth noting that according to the Albuquerque Daily, the incident caused outrage among people living in the home and the local community, who accused police of sparking the fire that killed the boy and calling the SWAT team's actions "excessive killing."
Hours after Rosenow's body was dragged out of the burned house, dozens of people gathered to protest the incident and waved signs that read "Black Lives Matter" and "(Cursed) Police."
By the afternoon of the 8th, flowers had been placed outside the house, which had been charred and sealed with wooden planks, and a note was attached to the bouquet: "Dear child, your life is important." The life of a black man is also a fate, bless your family. ”
Deja, one of the owners of the house, also denounced that she and her family had nowhere to go because the house burned down, according to the Source New Mexico news website. Deja said that in order to raise her, her mother worked two jobs in her life. And when the house burned down, "they (the police) took everything." Deja also said that the family told the police that a teenage boy was still in the house, "but they let him die and let him be burned." ”
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