ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An Albuquerque family has filed a wrongful-death claim against the city, arguing their legal team's analysis of evidence doesn't back up officer accounts that a teenager pointed a gun at an officer before she was shot.
A review by the family's attorney of police video, ballistics and other evidence questions what police who were at the scene of the April 2014 shooting have long maintained: Mary Hawkes, a 19-year-old vehicle theft suspect, pointed a gun at Officer Jeremy Dear, prompting him to open fire.
A city attorney and Dear's lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday evening after the lawsuit was filed.
Hawkes' death came amid heightened scrutiny of shootings by Albuquerque police — happening just weeks after another shooting by police sparked protests and a federal investigation described a culture of excessive force among police.