William Wilson, 26, of Farmington, is dead after he shot a state police officer – while handcuffed – striking the officer in his badge.
Wilson had just been arrested when he pulled out a revolver and fired on the officer who handcuffed him – hitting him in the badge. The bullet went into his badge and police vest.
The officer, along with a San Juan County sherif’s deputy, opened fire on Wilson killing him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officer was sent to a local hospital and was later released.
Wilson, an ex-con with a long criminal record, had been released on an “appearance bond” just weeks earlier on August 3 2017 – on charges of possession of a firearm, larceny, and aggravated burglary.
The release is the result of the newly enacted Supreme Court guidelines that virtually eliminates accountable pretrial release and bail – in favor of the Arnold Foundation’s “Pretrial Risk Assessment” tool that determined that he was not a danger to the community or a flight risk and therefore should not be subject to any accountable release – just a “promise” to appear.
What is an Appearance Bond?
An appearance bond either sets no bail at all, or sets bail at a certain amount but only requires the defendant to pay the amount if he or she fails to appear or to comply with a condition of release (a “pinky promise” with zero accountability).
San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen had harsh words for the new “bail reform” guidelines issued by the Supreme Court.
During a news conference, Christesen said the rules put people like Wilson back on the streets too quickly and pointed out that Wilson had a lengthy criminal record and was wearing a GPS monitor at the time of his arrest.
“Our judges, our lawmakers, and all law enforcement and every citizen of the state needs to stand up and stop this nonsense of catch and release,” Christesen said.
New Mexico Bail Reform, Risk Assessments, and Pretrial Services…
- ZERO Accountability
- ZERO Deterrent
- ZERO Supervision
- ZERO concern for victims
- ZERO Bail…just a “pinky promise” to return
- Bail Reform – Dangerous, Reckless, and a Taxpayer Burden
RELATED:
Police: Handcuffed suspect dead after shooting officer
(posted by Albuquerque Journal – Aug 27 2017)
A Farmington man is dead after he shot a state police officer who had just handcuffed him — striking the officer in the badge, according to authorities.
The officer was taken to a local hospital and released soon after, according to New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas. The officer, whose name has not been released, suffered bruising and facial injuries from badge shrapnel and will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice.
William Wilson, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The state police officer along with a San Juan County sheriff’s deputy opened fire after Wilson fired a shot, Kassetas said in a news conference broadcast online.
You’ve been LIED to New Mexico…NM Bail Reform is RECKLESS, DANGEROUS, and YOU are PAYING for it.
Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.