Man killed after shooting at police is indentified

Domestic quarrel in Ventana Ranch ended with fatal gunfire, chief says

Albuquerque police have identified the man an officer shot and killed Friday night on the West Side as 51-year-old Juan James Cordova.

In a preliminary statement posted on Twitter early Saturday morning, Police Chief Harold Medina said officers had been dispatched to the 10400 block of Coyote Canyon NW, in Ventana Ranch, for a domestic dispute.

“Officers were dispatched reference a male who was possibly armed and had discharged their firearm,” Medina said. “As officers were negotiating with the subject at least one additional round was fired and at one point in time an officer did discharge their firearm.” Cordova died at the scene. Medina said “at least one firearm” was recovered from him.

The Multi-Agency Task Force made up of local departments is investigating the shooting, which is standard.

The Albuquerque Police Department has not released any other information about the shooting. The department typically holds a briefing several weeks after a police shooting.

Cordova is the third person APD has shot this year, and the second person to be killed.

A woman who was at the house where Cordova was shot declined to talk with the Journal on

Wednesday. Neighbors described hearing officers calling for Cordova to give himself up for about an hour before they heard the gunshot.

Jim Madrid, who lives nearby, said he didn’t know Cordova but had seen him around. He said he never heard any fighting or commotion coming from the house.

“I was shocked because I saw him Friday at 5 o’clock in the afternoon,” Madrid said. “I saw him get on his motorcycle and he went for a ride. That was the last time I saw him. Six hours later he was gone.”

Madrid said he had gone to bed Friday night and was awoken by a gunshot a little after 11 p.m.

“I got up, opened up my blinds to the kitchen window and I saw (Cordova) lying there in the driveway in front of the garage,” Madrid said.

Madrid said another neighbor — who like many in Ventana Ranch had outfitted his home with security cameras — told him officers were standing in that neighbor’s driveway a couple of houses down from Cordova when the officer fired a single shot, killing him.