Graphic video released of fatal shooting of suspect
Morgan County Sheriff Jim Crone has released a video that shows him and several other law enforcement officers shooting a suspect in two fatal New Mexico stabbings after the man allegedly disobeyed orders not to move and stepped out of his car holding a knife while raising his hands above his head.
Crone, who was among those who fired shots in a Fort Morgan Walmart parking lot on May 24, said he released the graphic video, depicting the shooting of homicide suspect Dustin Brian Montano, in the interest of full disclosure.
Undersheriff Dave Martin also fired shots.
In a news release, Crone said they had no choice but to shoot.
“Prior to May 24th, Undersheriff Martin and myself, in our 50 years of combined law enforcement experience, have been involved in many armed confrontations over the years, and only one of those resulted in deadly force being used (I shot a man who stabbed me in 1987),” Crone wrote. “However, when confronting a man who was a suspect in a homicide, was presumably armed and dangerous, and in a conscious effort to disregard commands and come out of the car aggressively with a knife (which we initially saw as a handgun), the suspect left us with little choice.”
Morgan County District Attorney Brittny Lewton determined Sept. 7 that deadly force under the circumstances was justified.
Crone and Martin fired eight bullets, striking Montano seven times in the torso, arm and leg. After giving him 150 pints of blood to keep him alive, Montano was pronounced dead the next day at a hospital.
On the day of the shooting, Morgan County authorities knew that Montano was wanted for fatally stabbing his 53yearold aunt, Debra Martinez, and 17yearold cousin, Iris Montano, in Albuquerque. He had sent text messages to relatives in Sterling, north of Fort Morgan, to tell them he was on his way to kill them, according to the news release.
Albuquerque police indicated Montano had stolen a red Volkswagen Jetta. That police department reported that Montano was trying to set up a marijuana distribution business from his aunt’s house and stabbed her when she refused. Morgan County dispatchers sent alerts beginning at 6 a.m. to officers that Montano was suicidal and could be armed.
The car was spotted at 7:38 a.m. in the Walmart parking lot. Martin drove to the parking lot in an un marked car and parked in view of the car. Crone parked on the south side of the building, also in an unmarked car, a police report of the incident says.
When Montano returned to his car, Crone, Martin, two Colorado State Patrol troopers and a deputy drove up and surrounded the car. The officers got out of their cars, aimed their weapons at Montano, who was still inside the car, and loudly ordered him not to move, according to the video. Montano opened the front driver’s side door.
Crone and Martin believed that Montano was going to fight or run, the report says. Montano’s right hand came up above the door holding what they believed was a handgun. Montano was looking directly at Martin, who said he believed the suspect intended to kill him.
Both Crone and Martin fired shots at Montano, who spun and fell.
As the officers approached, the suspect yelled, “Why didn’t you just shoot me in the (expletive) head? Just kill me,” the report says.