Man shot twice in officer dispute

A 19-year-old man, recently released from the UNM Mental Health Clinic, was shot twice by police when he approached officers and refused to drop a knife Tuesday morning, Albuquerque Police Department Chief Ray Schultz said in a statement.

Chandler Todd Barr is in stable condition at UNM Hospital, according to APD.

UNMH has listed the man, “do not announce,” and cannot confirm the man is even at the hospital, a UNMH spokesperson said.
Schultz said the man was sent to the UNMH with two gunshot wounds to the chest. Leah Kelly was the officer involved in the shooting, APD confirmed.

“He very quickly began advancing on the officer,” Schultz said. “He was in a very close proximity to the officer, still armed with a knife, refusing to drop the knife or stop.”

This is APD’s 11th officer-involved shooting this year, seven of which were fatal.

Barr has no criminal record in New Mexico, according to the New Mexico Courts website.
The incident occurred in Downtown Albuquerque on Tuesday morning shortly after 8 a.m., near Central Avenue and Third Street, in front of the Greyhound bus station.

According to information obtained by the Albuquerque Journal, Barr was homeless and possibly from Oklahoma.

The incident began after officers responded to a call about a man who was bleeding from his wrists because of self-inflicted cuts. Schultz said the man had a bus ticket but was upset he would have to pay an additional fee. He left and returned to the bus station holding a knife and bleeding from both wrists.

Two female officers on bicycles arrived in the area within three minutes and found the man at Central Avenue and Second Street, Schultz said. The man became aggressive and approached Kelly, who then shot the man twice in the chest.

“He was armed with a deadly weapon. He had injured himself, refusing to obey officers in a very crowded and congested area,” Schultz said. “The officers have a duty to protect themselves.”

The officers have been placed on standard three-day administrative leave.

Downtown workers coming in for the work day were greeted with police sirens and tape. Central Avenue between First and Third Street was blocked but reopened shortly. As police continued their investigation, Second Street, between Gold Avenue and Copper Avenue, stayed closed most of the day.

All bus routes through the Alvarado Transportation Center were detoured or delayed, according to city transit officials.