Video shows officers fatally shooting man while responding to wrong address

Police have released disturbing body camera footage showing officers fatally shooting a New Mexico man after he mistakenly drove to his home earlier this month while responding to a domestic violence call.

Videos released Friday by the Farmington Police Department show the three officers opened fire on Robert Dotson, 52, after authorities said he answered his door with a handgun at 11:30 p.m. on the 5 april.

Officers had repeatedly announced themselves to the door and knocked three times with no response. In the meantime, they asked the dispatcher to confirm the address, the videos show.

“Isn’t it 5308?” asks an officer. They were at 5305.

Less than a minute later, the door opens and an officer shines a flashlight on Dotson while backing up. Slow-motion video of the incident shows Dotson appearing to raise a handgun toward officers. The officer yells at him to put his arms down while firing several times.

A woman is then heard screaming as she comes to the door and pulls a gun at the officers, prompting the officers to fire back. She was unharmed and complied with the officers’ orders once she realized they were police officers, authorities said.

A 911 call recording also released by police captures Dotson’s 14-year-old daughter crying while pleading for help after her father was shot.

The reason the officers went to the wrong address is part of the ongoing investigation, which is being conducted by New Mexico State Police, authorities said.

“All of us – the men and women of the Farmington Police Department – recognize the seriousness of this incident,” the Farmington Police Department said in a statement accompanying the release of the videos. “We will do everything in our power to ensure a better understanding of what happened. I believe the pictures will help provide a better understanding of what happened.

The three officers, who have not been publicly identified, have been placed on administrative leave. Two of the officers have worked for the department for about five years and the third for about three years, police said.