Rio Arriba County resident ID’d as man killed by police
VA doctor ordered emergency psychiatric evaluation in December
The Albuquerque Police Department has identified a person shot and killed by police Saturday.
Claude Trivino, 40, of Hernandez, was shot by one or two officers near San Mateo and Copper NE after a confrontation Saturday afternoon, police said. He later died at a hospital.
Rio Arriba County Magistrate Court records show that in December a Veterans Affairs doctor signed an order for an emergency psychiatric evaluation of Trivino. The order said there was “a likelihood of serious harm to himself or others and immediate detention was necessary to prevent such harm.” According to the court records, Trivino had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had not been taking his medication, and he used illicit drugs.
“We are all failing our community when we fail to provide effective mental health and addiction services to everyone who needs those services,” interim APD Chief Harold Medina said in a statement Sunday. “This isn’t just an Albuquerque problem. I urge legislators from across the state to respond to this crisis and work together to make these services a top priority.”
Around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, police responded to reports that a man, later identified as Trivino, was walking in the street and causing drivers to swerve to avoid hitting him.
APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said in a news release Sunday that officers didn’t know Trivino’s identity when they arrived at the scene.
Medina said at a media briefing Saturday that there was a confrontation and one officer tried to use a Taser on Trivino before one or two officers shot him. An officer was treated for a “superficial laceration,” and a knife consistent with that wound was found at the scene, Medina said. Video posted on Facebook shows Trivino throwing something at an officer before police open fire. Two officers are now on standard administrative leave. As of Sunday afternoon, they had not been interviewed by MultiAgency Task Force detectives, Gallegos said.
The Rio Arriba County court records from December show that deputies with the county Sheriff’s Office tried to arrest Trivino so he could undergo the evaluation. Trivino sped away from an attempted stop, and deputies decided to call off the pursuit because Trivino was known to carry an AK-47 and they did not know if he was armed, the complaint says.