Video shows boys, age 7 and 9, in armed standoff with deputies
Shocking video shows boys, 7 and 9, in armed standoff with deputies
Newly released drone footage shows two boys, ages seven and nine, armed with a loaded gun during a February standoff with police in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office via Storyful)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Shocking video showed two boys, aged 7 and 9, armed with a loaded firearm in a standoff with law enforcement in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The incident happened in February, but the video was recently released.
The backstory:
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office released the nearly six-minute-long video.
Drone footage showed the two boys dressed in Minecraft and Star Wars-themed clothing as they stood behind a covered unit.
The handgun was clearly visible in their hands, and they passed the weapon between one another.
Still image from done video. (Credit: Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office via Storyful)
The boys are then seen looking around and moving to different sides of the unit to hide from officers.
Eventually, deputies surround and detain the boys.
According to The Albuquerque Journal, deputies fired a less-lethal round to distract the boys, and one of the kids raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
What they're saying:
Sheriff John Allen told the outlet that the gun malfunctioned but had it gone off, "our deputies could have taken deadly force."
Deputies said their drone allowed them to manage the high-risk situation.
They were able to get the gun away from the boys without anyone getting hurt.
The Journal also quoted Allen as saying the BCSO had been called to the home at least 50 times due to issues with the boys and their family.
The Source: Storyful contributed to this report. The information in this story comes primarily from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, which released the nearly six-minute video showing the February standoff, and from reporting by The Albuquerque Journal, which included statements from Sheriff John Allen and details about the deputies’ use of non-lethal tactics, the boys' actions, and the family's troubled history with law enforcement. This story was reported from Los Angeles.