APD gives updates on February police killings

One man was in the throes of a depressive episode. Another was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood. Both were armed with guns. Both were killed by police.

The Albuquerque Police Department provided updates about the two killings from February at a news conference on Monday. They were the third and fourth police shootings of 2025, a year that has had five such incidents. Last year Albuquerque Police Department officers were in 11 police shootings, with four shootings by this time last year, Chief Harold Medina said.

The first of the two shootings occurred on Feb. 23 at the 11600 block of Mountain Road, near Juan Tabo.

Kyle Hartsock, a commander in charge of police shooting investigations, said the incident began when police were called to the home of Benjamin Raymond, 48, to investigate a domestic violence allegation.

Body camera footage presented at the conference and shared with the Journal showed two officers arriving at the residence looking for Raymond.

Inside the home, the woman who appeared to be Raymond’s wife showed police bruises across her body. She said Raymond was preventing her from taking her stuff and leaving, police said.

“She stated that he was highly agitated, and she was unsure if he was armed or not, but that he is a felon, and he’s affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood, and she was very fearful of how he would react to her calling police, and the possible retaliation she could face because she called police,” Hartsock said.

Outside, another officer spoke with Raymond. He told police the woman was drunk and said he was trying to leave the premises, police said.

As the two officers told Raymond they were going to arrest him, he took off across the street but did not get far. Before making it to the sidewalk, an officer tackled Raymond and pinned him to the ground.

As the three men wrestled, one of the officers noticed Raymond had a gun tucked into his waistband. As he reached for it, the officer pinned his arm to the ground, police said.

“I don’t want to do this,” Raymond said repeatedly. “If you’re gonna do it, my finger is on the trigger.”

The scrum broke up as Raymond’s dog approached. At that point, Raymond was able to swing the gun around, police said. As he did, one of the officers shouted “shoot him,” separating themselves from Raymond, who was still on the ground, according to APD.

In all, the officers fired nine times, police said.

“The suspect was able to fire at least one round during this sequence, but it’s not clear the exact timing,” Hartsock said, referring to Raymond’s Ruger pistol that was damaged in the shooting.

Neither the Ruger or another gun recovered on scene were immediately traceable, Hartsock said.

Hartsock said Raymond had been released from parole in 2023 after leaving prison two years prior. During his incarceration, Raymond became a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, a neo-Nazi prison gang and an organized crime syndicate.

Fronting his garage, Raymond also had a large “QAnon” flag.

Hartstock also said police found 760 pounds of cannabis in a box truck parked in Raymond’s driveway. However, Hartstock gave no information about the investigation into the drugs.

Hartsock said APD would not name the officers. When asked if there was an active threat against them or if the name withholding was out of caution, Hartsock responded, “Both.” He did not provide details about any possible threats.

He said that one officer was hired in 2022 and the other in 2023. Neither has been involved in police shootings before this incident.

Medina added that the FBI would assist by providing information to APD.

Mental health check ends in shooting

The second of the two shootings occurred on Feb. 28 at an apartment complex near the 12000 block of Montgomery Boulevard.

David McElvain, 67, had called into work at a local hospital and told his boss that he may be suicidal, according to a statement from Albuquerque Community Safety to an officer who arrived on the scene. The Albuquerque Community Safety worker said they tried to contact McElvain but failed to do so.

“The ACS worker, later on, when we interviewed her, said that she had a weird feeling,” Hartsock said.

That officer, Jonathan Barela, then walked over to McElvain’s first floor apartment and knocked on the door. McElvain did not answer, and after a few more knocks, Barela noted that the door was unlocked and opened it, police said.

“David, Albuquerque Police Department. Make your presence known. We’re here to help. You’re not in trouble,” Barela said after opening the door.

A dog approached Barela as he opened the door before McElvain sauntered over. Barela and another officer noticed the gun and told Barela to put it down before they fired at him. Barela’s body camera shows McElvain lifting the gun and pointing it at the officers before they shot him.

Later, police discovered the gun was unloaded. Barela, who was hired in 2021, had not been involved in a police shooting before , Hartsock said.