Front Page  news  state

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

State Parks Officer Shoots, Kills Man at Elephant Butte


Associated Press
      ELEPHANT BUTTE STATE PARK — A New Mexico State Parks officer fatally shot a man at the Lion's Beach area of Elephant Butte State Park after the man became belligerent over a $14 camping fee, authorities said Wednesday.
    The man was described as white and in his mid-50s, but state police spokesman Lt. Jimmy Glascock said he has not positively been identified.
    His pickup truck and trailer had Montana license plates, said State Parks Division Director Dave Simon.
    Officer Clyde Woods was called to the campground between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday by a campground host who was having difficulty collecting camping fees from the man, Simon said.
    When the volunteer camping host approached the man to collect the fee for the developed site, the man "became immediately verbally abusive and belligerent,'' Simon said. The volunteer called for a park ranger, and Woods responded.
    "It seems to have been an escalating confrontation with our officer, and that confrontation ended in deadly force,'' he said.
    But, Simon said, "this was an incident that went far deeper than a simple refusal to pay a fee or our concern about not collecting the fee.''
    Woods, who has been with the agency for just under three years, is on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation, he said. That is standard procedure.
    State Parks officers are fully certified law enforcement officers who attend the state police academy and complete the same training as every other law enforcement officer in New Mexico, Simon said.
    "In a park, we are much more frequently in the business of attempting to avoid confrontation over parks rules and regulations,'' he said.
    However, officers are authorized to use deadly force to protect themselves or members of the public.
    "The officer on the scene made the decision,'' Simon said. "He's the one who knows what degree that threat was.''