Say What Now? Tense Police Standoff with Armed Brothers, 7 and 9, Captured on Video as Shots Fired

While the young boys in New Mexico quarreled over who could hold the gun and even pointed it at deputies as a sniper got into position, the sheriff describes a “system of failure” that resulted in this challenging and hazardous incident.

New Mexico deputies found themselves in a situation that probably isn’t covered extensively at the police academy — if at all — when they found themselves in an armed standoff with two young boys at a home in Albuquerque.

Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived to the scene on February 16 after receiving reports of two young boys allegedly armed with a loaded gun. The officers employed drone technology to be able to see what was going on with the boys, without endangering anyone.

That footage captures deputy’s attempts to talk the boys into willingly giving up the gun before they or anyone around them gets shot, as detailed by People.

“I literally have my hand on the trigger,” one of the boys can be heard saying, per CBS News.

“Let’s not do that. Let’s take our hand off, buddy. Let’s put it on the ground,” responds one deputy.

One female deputy is heard telling the boy holding the gun to “put it down, baby.” She tries multiple times to engage the boys to put the gun down willingly, but the boys ultimately appear to spend more time talking with one another than paying attention to what’s going on around them.

As deputies tried to de-escalate the potentially deadly situation, the outlet describes the boys as largely ignoring them, instead arguing over who gets to hold the gun and have control of it. Deputies said the live drone footage was instrumental in helping to safely manage the situation.

In a press conference after the situation, Sheriff John Allen said that one of the boys did take aim at a deputy with the gun and allegedly succeeded in pulling the trigger. A device malfunction that jammed the gun and failed to load a bullet into its chamber is the only thing that prevented it from firing.

Allen conceded that if the boys had successfully managed to shoot a member of law enforcement, they would have had no choice but to consider using deadly force. “That would not have gone well with anybody in the nation,” he admitted.

Thankfully, that possibility never came to be.

Instead, deputies escalated their verbal approach with the boys, becoming more demanding that they drop the weapon. As captured on the video, one of the boys says in response to the order, “F–k that!”

At this point, per People, a sharpshooter arrived on the scene and set up about 50 yards away from the boys. Continuing to ignore what the deputies were demanding of them, the boys instead seemed interested in the sharpshooter’s setup, particularly asking if they can see its “cannon.”

The deputies tried to bargain with the boys that they could see it if they dropped the weapon, but after a few more exchanges back and forth, they appeared to again lose interest in the deputies, and returned to engaging only with one another.

After communication broke down again, the sharpshooter is heard in the video repeating the number “40” three times before he fires a non-lethal shot that ricocheted off a wall and landed less than a foot from the boys, per People.

One of the boys darted off and took cover, per the video reviewed by the magazine, while the other pointed the gun at the deputies again. Once more, the sharpshooter calls three “40s” and fired, this time landing a ricocheted non-lethal round even closer to the boy, who darted off to join his brother behind what appears to be an HVAC unit.

Finally, the deputies were able to charge the boys, surrounding the HVAC unit and demanding that they finally put the gun down. Allen is seen in the video rushing in unarmed, reaching behind the unit, and taking the firearm out of one boy’s hand.

The whole encounter lasted less than five minutes. Allen praised the drone for helping to de-escalate the situation, saying that this is the third time a drone has helped prevent a potential deadly force confrontation with a juvenile.

Allen praised his deputies for diffusing the situation and how they dealt with the two young boys throughout the ordeal. He explained that the situation with these specific brothers is complex, and that his department has been to the home 56 times.

“This case illustrates the complex intersection of juvenile crime, mental health and public safety,” Allen said in a statement. “We are taking important steps to close service gaps and expand our ability to work with juveniles involved in firearms or violent crimes.”

“There’s a lot of domestic violence issues involved in this case,” Allen told reporters, per CBS News. He said that many times the boys have run away from home, only to be taken into CYFD (Children, Youth & Families Department) custody and ultimately returned to the home, where they cycle would repeat.

Speaking with ABC affiliate KOAT, Allen said that this particular incident actually started with the mom calling 911. “She walked into a room. She saw both of the children playing with the firearm and racking the slide. The mom confronted them. The kids ran away from the residence,” he said.

Dispatchers then received a second call of children playing with a firearm behind another residence. “That gun was apparently not locked up,” he said. “They had it, messing with the slide. Luckily, they didn’t injure one another or shoot one another. That’s what we’re also worried about.”

He admitted he’s not happy with how CYFD has been handling this family’s situation. In this particular instance, no charges have been filed at this time in this particular case, because the boys would have just been released back to CYFD.

“I think with the way the state system is, I believe it’s a system of failure. This is a case that is going to highlight that,” he told the press, per KOB4. CYFD told the news outlet they could not comment on the case at this time.

“That shows that these children are not being taken care of, from their home and their family,” Allen continued. “Then, if they got on the state side, they are released right back to the family, or someone that is familiar with the family, that does the children no good at all. And they’re just going to go into a life of crime?”

Instead, ABC affiliate KGTV reports that Allen said authorities are trying to help the family get access to trauma therapy, medical services, behavioral support, and prepaid grocery cards.

He did, however, say it is possible that one or both parents could face charges under Bennie’s Law, as the father is a felon in possession of a firearm. The father is also currently in jail on a domestic violence charge. The Bennie Hargrove Gun Safety Act requires gun owners to keep guns safely and properly stored.

After the incident, Allen said he’s lost track of where the boys are. He said that CYFD had “released them back to the home and that same day they ran away,” winding up again in CYFD custody.

“Right now, currently today, I don’t know where they are because it’s either with CYPD or with the household or with another person within that family,” he admitted.

According to KOAT’s reporting, they are currently in CYFD custody, who told the outlet in a statement they are “unable to provide any details or comment on the specifics of this case or others involving active cases or cases under investigation due to confidentiality laws that protect the privacy of children and families within the child welfare process.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages; Calls are confidential and toll-free.

If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

via: TooFab

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