APD details police shooting that left man dead and bullet lodged in officer's radio

The shot rang out as Albuquerque police officer Michael Golden tried to detain a man who had outstanding warrants. 

Luis Arreola-Palma had fired the gun from inside his jacket pocket and the bullet, according to police, slammed into Golden's police radio, which was affixed to his bulletproof vest. 

Moments later, officer Christopher Cooke shot back, firing five bullets that killed Arreola-Palma, 32.

The Albuquerque Police Department on Tuesday released lapel videos and other evidence from the Dec. 21 shooting. Arreola-Palma, who had a history of arrests related to auto theft and negligent use of a deadly weapon, fired the single shot at police, according to APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos.

The shooting was the 15th time APD had shot, or shot at, someone in 2025. Twelve of those incidents were fatal. On Saturday, Albuquerque police fatally shot 45-year-old Jeffrey Morales, who was allegedly stealing Amazon packages, outside of a mobile home park. It was this year's first police shooting.

All of the 2025 shootings involved a person that had a weapon on them — 13 of which were guns, Gallegos said. The other two involved a woman who wielded a butcher knife and a man who was hitting a woman with a hammer.

He said toxicology reports showed that, in each of the fatal shootings from 2025, the person had drugs or alcohol in their system.

"That continues to be a concern to have drugs and alcohol, as well as deadly weapons, involved in these incidents, putting our officers in danger," Gallegos said. "I do want to point out that we started the year and ended the year with someone who shot police officers, which is very concerning." 

Cmdr. Jeff Barnard, who oversees APD’s Criminal Investigations Bureau, said officers were searching for Arreola-Palma — a suspected auto thief who had two outstanding warrants for his arrest — near the Rodeway Inn, on Coors and Iliff NW. 

Around 3 p.m., police found Arreola-Palma at the motel and he immediately ran from officers, Barnard said. Officer Cooke, who has been with APD since 2023 and has no prior history of police shootings, chased Arreola-Palma through the motel and alerted dispatchers that he was in a foot pursuit. 

Lapel footage showed officer Golden and Cooke cornering Arreola-Palma at the bottom floor of the motel and trying to arrest him. 

"Officers went hands-on with Mr. Palma and were unaware he had a firearm at this time," Barnard said. "When officers were attempting to gain control of Mr. Palma, (he) fired one round, striking officer Golden."

Investigators learned Arreola-Palma had the gun in his jacket pocket and shot through his jacket, with the bullet going through Arreola-Palma's phone before lodging into Golden's police radio. 

Cooke returned fire, striking Arreola-Palma in the chest, back, right hip and forearm. Arreola-Palma was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

"You just (expletive) shot me dude," Golden screamed to Arreola-Palma as he handcuffed him. Arreola-Palma asked for officers to place his handcuffed arms to the front of his body, and Golden shouted, "(Expletive) no." 

Lapel footage showed Golden, moments later, shocked and out of breath as he showed other officers the bullet hole in his radio. 

"Thank (expletive) God I have a vest. I'm good, I'm alive," Golden said as he took multiple deep breaths, his hands held above his head. At one point, Golden looked down at his vest with shock in his eyes as other officers patted his back in support.

"I didn't feel anything," Golden said while laughing. "That radio took everything."

Prior to his death, Arreola-Palma had two outstanding warrants — one for failing to appear in court on a charge of unlawfully taking a vehicle in October and another in September for failing to appear in court on one charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

In the first case, Arreola-Palma had allegedly driven around in a stolen vehicle, which he later told police he knew was stolen. In the second case, Arreola-Palma allegedly shot a man in the stomach at an El Mesquite Market parking lot, but police said the man was uncooperative with the investigation.

"Had (Arreola-Palma) survived, he would have been charged with attempted murder along with his active felony warrants," Barnard said.

Nakayla McClelland covers crime and breaking news. Reach her at nmcclelland@abqjournal.com or at 505-823-3857.