Albuquerque police ID woman fatally shot after pointing phone at officer

The Albuquerque Police Department released the name of the woman shot and killed by police on Tuesday when she allegedly held a phone like it was a gun.

APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said 32-year-old Mariah Voigt was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Police said Voigt positioned a cellphone in her hands as if it were a gun and popped out of a storage shed, pointing the phone at police. At least one officer fired, killing her.

The incident happened after a two-hour search for Voigt, who fled from a stolen vehicle into a neighborhood, according to police.

The Multi-Agency Task Force is investigating the shooting.

A cousin told the Journal that Voigt had her troubles but was also “kind, caring and nonviolent.” Court records show Voigt had mainly been arrested on drug and shoplifting charges.

“I am so sorry you lost your life the way you did,” a family member posted on Facebook. “Police these days think everything is a gun, it was just her phone.”

The relative added, “I can’t even believe this is true. People do dumb things but they shouldn’t lose their lives over it.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico called for “a transparent and thorough investigation” into Voigt’s death.

APD often holds a preliminary briefing within weeks of a police shooting, releasing video and details. The internal investigation into officers’ use of force in fatal shootings has a 90-day completion deadline and determines if any policies were violated.

“We are deeply troubled by the recurring deaths of unarmed individuals at the hands of the APD,” ACLU-NM Policing Policy Advocate Daniel Williams said in a news release.

Voigt’s death was the third time in as many years that APD officers have shot someone who was holding something other than a weapon. In 2022, officers fatally shot Collin Neztsosie, 33, after he repeatedly pointed a phone at them from a distance.

“Despite nearly 10years of oversight due to the Court Approved Settlement Agreement (CASA), the people of Albuquerque continue to see tragedy after tragedy resulting from APD’s interactions with the public,” Williams said in the release.

Police said around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, officers tried to arrest Voigt and a man who were inside a stolen vehicle near Eubank and Candelaria NE. The man was detained and later released but Voigt fled into a nearby neighborhood and hid in a storage shed.

APD Chief Harold Medina said a police drone could see Voigt “manipulating” a phone as if it were a gun while she was inside the shed. He said Voigt emerged and pushed out her hands, as if holding a gun, toward police and was fatally shot.