Which Cop Put This Suspect In The Back Of The Cruiser Without Patting Him Down First?

Albuquerque police are still piecing together what led an officer to kill a handcuffed man in custody last week.

Police have identified that man as Matthew Garcia. Court records show an extensive criminal history.

Police say they took Garcia into custody at the Tewa Lodge Friday for what they say was a drug clean-up operation.

But police say Garcia was combative, and they admit they placed him in a police vehicle without fully patting him down.

“As they handcuffed the individual, they begin to search him and the individual becomes very combative. We’ve asked our officers to de-escalate situations, we asked them to avoid the use of force. So they put this person in the car as quickly as they could to try to alleviate any further issues,” said APD Chief Harold Medina.

They say at no point did Garcia tell officers he was armed. Police also say about 45 minutes later, an officer noticed Garcia was trying to reach for a gun he had on his waist.

Police describe what happened next as a “wrestling match” before Garcia was shot.

All of this prompted discussion at the Albuquerque City Council meeting Monday night. Garcia’s parents, Fred and Bernadette Garcia, spoke at the meeting.

“They didn’t have to kill him. They didn’t have to kill my son,” they said. “He wasn’t perfect, but he was a human being.”

The couple claimed they had to find out from people on the street that their son was killed. They and others want APD to release all of the body camera footage.