Albuquerque Police Department released details of a shooting involving officers on Thursday, July 2, 2026. According to APD, two officers, Tyler Sanchez and David Werner, exchanged gunfire with Jose Armas, 23, following a standoff at an apartment complex in the North Valley on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
Standoff Timeline
The incident lasted for over 45 minutes from the time officers arrived on scene. It was more of an attempt to communicate and de-escalation. APD received a 911 call from a friend of Armas to request a welfare check. According to his friend, Armas had threatened to hurt himself.
At 7:18 p.m., Armas opened the front door and appeared outside of the door. Officers issued commands for Armas to put his hands up and not reach for anything, but he began to yell obscenities at officers and yell ‘back and forth’ with officers.
At 7:19 p.m., one officer took charge of communicating with Armas and gave him directions to step toward officers with his hands, ‘clear and empty.’ Armas indicated he was not armed, but yelled more profanities and refused to walk toward officers.
At 7:20 p.m., another officer transitioned from a taser to a less-lethal 40mm launcher and yelled for Armas to get on the ground. The initial officer who attempted to communicate with Armas also told him twice to ‘get on the ground.’ The second officer fired one 40mm round, striking Armas. However, the round did not have an effect and Armas went back inside of the apartment.
At 7:23 p.m., an officer began to provide public address announcements from his police vehicle. He directed Armas to exit the apartment with his hands up, ‘clear and empty’ offering to get him help.
At 7:24 p.m., officers noticed the upstairs window open. The officer providing announcements stepped out of the police vehicle, and within 12 seconds, Armas fired a gunshot at the vehicle.
The investigation revealed the bullet struck the front passenger side window of the police vehicle, passed through the inside where the officer had been seated seconds earlier, and lodged into the inside of the driver’s side door. The officer was standing on the other side of the door when the shot was fired. Two officers were struck by shrapnel from the breaking glass.
At 7:29 p.m., Armas opened the front door approximately 5 minutes later. At 7:40 p.m., another officer took over attempts to talk to Armas, repeating that officers did not want to hurt him. He eventually started walking toward officers who were on Bellamah.
At 7:43 p.m., officers approached Armas to take him into custody. As officers approach, Armas turned and headed back to his apartment. An officer fired a less-lethal, 40mm projectile, striking Armas. However, it had no effect and Armas continued into the apartment. Officers returned to their police vehicle to take cover.
At 7:45 p.m., officers saw Armas step outside the front door of the apartment. He appeared to shoot three rounds. Officer Devin Werner, who was on 8th St., fired one round at Armas. Officer Tyler Sanchez, who was on Bellamah, said he saw Armas shooting, and he returned gunfire. Armas was struck by the gunfire. Officers attempted first-aid, but Armas died at the scene.
As of Thursday, the shooting is still under investigation. The Multi-Agency Task Force will forward its case to the District Attorney’s Office to determine criminal charges.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
