ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Deputies with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) encountered a situation in February that Sheriff John Allen said would “shock the conscience of Bernalillo County.”
Two boys — ages 7 and 9 — stood in a front yard, passing a loaded handgun back and forth.
Drone video released by BCSO on May 8 shows deputies working to convince the boys to put the gun down during the Feb. 16 incident. One deputy can be heard telling them, “You’re not in trouble.” Another pleads, “This isn’t a game.” At one point, a deputy yells that they’re trying to help.
The boys continue to handle the weapon. Deputies discuss their limited options, including deploying a less-lethal round.
A less-lethal round was eventually fired to distract the boys. Allen said that at that point, one of the boys raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
But the firearm malfunctioned.
Had the gun gone off, Allen said, “our deputies could have taken deadly force. That would not have gone well with anybody in the nation.”
Video shows deputies move in and safely disarm the boys. The Feb. 16 incident ended without injury and the firearm was siezed.
Allen discussed the case during a May 8 press conference, highlighting the work of BCSO’s Behavioral Health Unit and announcing a new initiative to expand services for individuals in crisis — especially youth.
Allen said deputies had responded to the family’s home at least 50 times before the standoff, the Albuquerque Journal reported. According to Allen, the boys “were taught how to use the firearm” and learned the behavior they displayed that day.
The department used its drone program to monitor the scene in real time, which Allen said gave deputies enhanced situational awareness and helped them avoid a deadly outcome.
“This technology allowed deputies to secure the area swiftly and safely, ultimately preventing a potential deadly force encounter with the juveniles,” the sheriff’s office said.
Allen emphasized that the response was about taking the right first step.
“Children are our future, and we know one side is going to say, ‘Lock them in jail,’” he said. “They’re 7 and 9 years old. I told you before, numerous times in numerous interviews, that I understand the frontal lobe.”
He added, “If they were several years older, we’d probably be speaking differently and doing it the reverse route.”
“Arresting people isn’t the only way out of this crisis of juvenile crime,” Allen said. “You have to look at it from a bunch of different avenues and use the resources you have, and then criminal elements can come later.”
After the incident, BCSO’s Behavioral Health Unit — made up of deputies, clinicians and paramedics — responded to provide wraparound services to the family. That included trauma therapy, parenting support, transportation to appointments and grocery cards. The boys also received psychiatric evaluations.
But getting help wasn’t easy.
Michael Lucero, clinical manager of the unit, said the team ran into multiple barriers — including Medicaid being denied to one of the boys because of his age, and treatment delays stretching up to six weeks.
“We have highly educated, highly skilled people on this team, and it took all of us just to navigate multiple systems,” Lucero said. “And we are still running into barriers while working this case.”
No charges have been filed against the children or their parents, but Allen said criminal charges — including those available under the Benny Hargrove law — may still be considered, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
