Wounded officer out of hospital
Verbeck one of four police hurt in gunfight with robbery suspect
Both officer Mario Verbeck and the man who is accused of shooting him two weeks ago were released from the University of New Mexico Hospital on Thursday.
Verbeck, a big grin on his face, was brought out of the hospital in a wheelchair surrounded by cheering medical staffers, law enforcement personnel and loved ones. A procession of police cruisers and motorcycles paraded down the street in his honor.
James Ramirez, on the other hand, was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Ramirez, a 27-year-old from Los Angeles, is expected to face federal charges in relation to the shootout that left him and four officers, including Verbeck, injured on Aug. 19. He will stay in the county jail until he is transferred into federal custody.
Second Judicial District Attorney Raúl Torrez said he consulted with the Albuquerque Police Department, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office of New Mexico before determining it was best for Ramirez to be prosecuted first in federal court for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors dismissed Ramirez’s state charges of three counts of aggravated battery upon a peace officer, armed robbery, and more, but Torrez said after the federal proceeding has concluded they can be refiled.
Torrez said prosecuting Ramirez federally would “provide greater certainty about both his pretrial detention and the likely sentence Ramirez would face upon conviction” and the officers would be “substantially less burdened” by the process and allowed to heal without added stress.
“As a former federal prosecutor, I know that the federal criminal justice system affords greater protections to crime victims and I am committed to doing everything we can to allow these officers to rest and recover before we have to move forward with charges in state court,” Torrez said.
When asked when Ramirez might be charged in federal court, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said “per (Department of Justice) policy, we cannot confirm the existence of or comment on ongoing investigations.”
Ramirez and another man were suspected of robbing a teenager at gunpoint.
Verbeck and fellow officer James Eichel Jr. found him a couple of hours later in an alleyway near Juan Tabo and Constitution NE, and that’s where police say he shot at them, hitting both.
Sgt. Sean Kenny and Officer Harry Gunderson were called to the scene to assist and they exchanged fire with Ramirez near the crowded drive-thru of Dutch Bros Coffee.
Verbeck was struck in the neck above his bulletproof vest and was critically injured. Eichel was shot in the arm and Kenny was hit in his bulletproof vest. Gunderson was struck in the face by shrapnel.
The officers returned fire and Ramirez was also injured.
Local law enforcement from several agencies launched a massive manhunt in the area but did not find the second suspect in the robbery.