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Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 19 June 2019 19 June 2019

This update identifies the officers involved and provides additional details that led up to the shooting.

Town of Bernalillo, NM – On June 5, 2019, the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau was contacted to investigate a police shooting involving officers from the Town of Bernalillo Police Department.

State Police Investigators learned that on June 5, 2019 at about 9:30 a.m. Officers Tom Carter and Daniel Guzman of the Bernalillo Police Department were dispatched to a shots fired call at apartment 3 of the Villa Elena Apartments located at 201 Villa Elena Lane, in Bernalillo, NM.

The officers were informed by the apartment manager that residents had reported Fabian Rivera (28), who lived in apartment 3 was shooting a gun. 

As officers approached apartment 3, they encountered Rivera who was armed with a gun. Rivera fired multiple rounds at the officers and then went back into his apartment. The officers took cover and started giving Rivera verbal commands to surrender and identified themselves as law enforcement. Moments later Rivera came out of his apartment, walked towards the officers and began shooting at the officers again.  

In fear of their lives and for those in the area, Officers Carter and Guzman both discharged their weapons striking Rivera. Officers then began immediate first aid on Rivera until paramedics arrived. Rivera was transported to an area trauma center where he was later pronounced deceased at around 1:30 p.m. on June 5, 2019.

Officer Tom Carter has 9 years of law enforcement experience and Officer Daniel Guzman has 17 years of law enforcement experience. For inquiries into the duty status of these two officers please refer those questions to the Bernalillo Police Department. This investigation will be forwarded to the appropriate District Attorney for review.  No further information is available.