'Please do something for my son': Family of man fatally shot by APD confronts city councilors.

On Monday, city councilors were spoken to by the police chief, confronted by public commenters and addressed by the parents of Matthew Freddie Garcia, the man fatally shot by Albuquerque Police on Friday.

The shooting took place at the Tewa Lodge motel on East Central — which the city has since closed — in the International District. APD released footage of the incident and held a press conference Sunday to discuss the details.

Lapel video footage of the shooting shows officers fatally firing at a handcuffed Garcia in the back seat of a police cruiser after he indicates to them he had a gun. The department only released a partial video of the shooting Sunday, saying it wanted to interview its own officers before releasing more.

Teary-eyed Fred and Bernadette Garcia, the parents of Matthew Freddie Garcia, both asked why officers did not search him for a gun before he was handcuffed.

“They didn’t have to kill him,” Fred Garcia said. “They did not have to kill my son. He was a great father, a great son, and a great husband. He was my best friend as well.”

The shooting was the 11th — eighth fatal — by the department this year.

“I’ve been a police officer and been around the city for 29 years. Never ... in my 29 years have I seen an officer have to shoot someone in handcuffs,” City Councilor Louie Sanchez, a former APD officer and one of Harold Medina’s most vocal critics, said as the police chief walked toward the back of the chambers.

The comment from Sanchez earned applause from those in attendance and the banging of the gavel by City Council President Dan Lewis to try and regain “decorum.”

Sanchez did not ask Medina any questions, instead directing his questions about the police department’s procedures at Samantha Sengel, the city’s Chief Administrative Officer.

“Have you checked to see what the quality of the officers that we are hiring and the quality of training that’s going on at APD?” Sanchez asked.

Sengel said she has not “evaluated each officer and their training.”

The shooting happened during an operation targeting criminal activity at the motel. The Journal observed a large police presence at the motel just an hour before the shooting.

Medina said over the weekend that Matthew Garcia had three outstanding warrants when he was arrested.

“Any loss of life is a tragedy that reverberates through our community. My thoughts are with everyone affected, including the officers who were faced with split-second decision-making in a dangerous situation,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement to the Journal Monday. “Tonight the Chief reflected the confidence we now have in the systems ... to thoroughly investigate this incident.”

Director of the city’s planning department, Alan Varela, also went in front of councilors with Medina to field questions.

City Councilors Nichole Rogers and Tammy Fiebelkorn grilled Medina and Varela on both departments’ handling of the situation.

Rogers asked Medina for a briefing to connect Garcia’s family — who was in attendance — with the department’s victim advocates and to detail what procedures went wrong. Fiebelkorn asked if those living at the motel were reunited with their animals following the shooting.

Over 25 people signed up to speak during public comments, many calling on APD to release the full footage of the shooting.

The response in the city chambers comes after a weekend of protests which resulted in the arrests of two people; Sean Kinney, 21, and Emery Schmidt, 34 outside the motel the night of the shooting. APD also released footage of that altercation.

Fiebelkorn asked Medina why the arrests were made, and Medina said it was because protestors put officers in danger. That response earned a handful of middle fingers from those in the crowd.

Schmidt was charged with battery and refusing to obey or comply with an officer, a misdemeanor. Kinney was charged with resisting an officer, a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a petty misdemeanor.

No arrests were made at the Saturday candlelight vigil outside the motel or a Downtown protest on Sunday.

As he wrapped up his remarks, Fred Garcia pleaded for justice from the City Council.

“Please do something for my son ... I ask you this.”

Fred Garcia told the Journal after speaking to the Council that what he meant was that he wants “these officers fired for what they have done — executing my son.”

Medina was not in attendance when Fred and Bernadette Garcia spoke. They both said they were upset by his absence. They also said that nobody — including Medina — from APD approached them Monday.

Fred Garcia said that he wants his son to be remembered as a selfless person.

“That man had a heart of gold for anybody. He would help out. ... He gave back what they gave to him. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t waste time. He did it automatically with his heart. He had the heart of God.”