By Police1 Staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An undercover Albuquerque officer shot by another cop during a narcotics investigation remains in critical condition after undergoing a third surgery.
According to KOAT, the detective who was shot by a lieutenant during a $60 meth bust Friday was not wearing body armor at the time of the incident.
Fellow officers visited the detective at a New Mexico hospital throughout the weekend as his family made its way to the state.
The Albuquerque Police Department has not yet named either officer involved in the shooting.
The shooting occurred as police swarmed a parked vehicle containing suspects Damien Bailey and Edmond Vester, the Albuquerque Journal reported. Witnesses on the scene claim they heard around five gunshots.
Bailey and Vester were taken into custody on drug trafficking charges.
“We’re getting some push back because (the investigation) was for $60 of meth,” Albuquerque Officer Tanner Tixier told the Albuquerque Journal. “But that’s how these investigations work. You start with $20, $40, $60 buys. You can’t just go out and buy five pounds of meth.”
Further details on the incident, including whether the suspects were armed or what prompted the lieutenant to open fire, have not been released.
The lieutenant, who officials describe as ‘devastated,’ is on administrative leave, per the APD’s standard policy. The incident continues to be under investigation, according to the report.