By: ABQRAW staff
Posted: 5/20/2022 at 7:30AM
Around 5:15PM on May 19th, 2022, Albuquerque Police officers encountered at least 16 shots being fired in their direction near 532 Espanola St SE.
Officers were able to quickly set up a perimeter and make sure there were no victims. APD initiated a multi agency SWAT call out to search for the suspects.
According to a criminal complaint, officers saw rounds strike the pavement near them. It appeared to officers that the shots were being fired from within a nearby apartment complex. Officers had to jump out of the way of the rounds.
The suspect was identified as Jimmy Lopez. In the complaint, it says Lopez had access to an AR-15 and a .22 rifle. It says four occupants were inside drinking 8 pints of vodka before the shooting.
Lopez was shooting from the second story of the complex and when more units arrived there was at least four more rounds fired at officers. Officers observed Lopez would open and close the door several times while officers were trying to get him to surrender.
Lopez refused to speak to police after the incident.
Court records show that in 2021, Lopez had a another case involving a firearm when he was charged with shooting from a motor vehicle. In that incident Lopez fired eight rounds at a vehicle and struck the driver in the back. The victim in that shooting was identified as his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend.The case was dismissed by the District Attorney because they said the APD Gun Reduction Unit failed to get evidence to them.
The SWAT call lasted for over five hours. There where trees cut down and heavy damage observed to an apartment complex unit during the standoff. No officers were hurt in the incident.
The apartment complex the suspect was shooting from and where the standoff occured.
In this case, Lopez was charged with three counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and shooting at an occupied dwelling.