APD identifies man who shot officer in the chest

The man who shot an Albuquerque police officer in the chest,  hitting his radio, during a shootout on Sunday in Northwest Albuquerque has died.

Luis Arreola-Palma, 32, of Albuquerque died in a hospital from his wounds, Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson Franchesca Perdue said in a news release on Monday.

The shooting was the 15th time APD has shot, or shot at, someone this year. Eleven of those incidents were fatal.

At about 2:56 p.m. Sunday, police tried to arrest Arreola-Palma at the Rodeway Inn, near Coors and Illiff NW, on two outstanding warrants. One warrant was 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. 

When officers found Arreola-Palma and attempted to arrest him, he ran away, Perdue said. After police caught up with Arreola-Palma and a fight ensued, during which he shot an officer in the chest, according to police.

The bullet struck the officer's radio, which "saved his life," APD Chief Harold Medina said during a news conference on Sunday.

A second officer shot Arreola-Palma in the upper torso, "striking him several times," Perdue said. On Sunday, Medina said, officers shot at Arreola-Palma roughly five or six times.

Police were looking for Arreola-Palma after he was identified as one of APD's Top 25 Auto Theft Offenders for December, Perdue said.

It is not the first time police have attempted to arrest Arreola-Palma on auto theft charges. In an Oct. 4 case, he was accused of knowingly driving a stolen vehicle, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. 

Officers were driving around and found a vehicle that had activated automated license plate readers multiple times. After police pulled Arreola-Palma, he "immediately acknowledged the truck to be stolen," the complaint states.

Court records show Arreola-Palma was arrested and released on his own recognizance. A warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court.

In the second case, Arreola-Palma allegedly shot at a man in the stomach at an El Mesquite Market parking lot, according to a criminal complaint. The man told officers Arreola-Palma pointed the gun at him and he was afraid to be shot, but did not want to speak about the situation.

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