Kevin Caldwell, now faces child abuse charges after police say a he fired his gun in an apartment with small children inside – after a dispute with another adult.
Caldwell was allegedly smoking a synthetic called Spice when he and anther man began to have a dispute. Caldwell then pulled out his gun and opened fire in the apartment – shooting off several rounds.
A mother and her 8 and 2-year-old children locked themselves in a room, terrified when the gunfire broke out.
After his arrest, Caldwell was released and FREE TO GO under NM Bail Reform after the Arnold Foundation’s “Pretrial Risk Assessment” tool 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.
The release is the result of newly enacted Supreme Court guidelines orchestrated by Chief Justice Daniels that virtually eliminates accountable pretrial release and bail.
New Mexico Bail Reform, Risk Assessments, and Pretrial Services
Chief Justice Charles Daniels
- 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
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Police: Man opens fire in apartment with kids inside
A terrifying situation ensued for several people earlier this week after police say a man fired his gun in an apartment with small children inside.
That man, Kevin Caldwell, now faces child abuse charges.
Twana Lee has lived in her apartment off of Columbia Drive in southeast Albuquerque for nearly a year. She said it’s quiet for the most part, at least until Wednesday when she woke up to gunfire. Lee said it came from a neighboring building.
“It was pretty loud,” she said. “I mean it was right there. And then hearing the echoing, it’s pretty bad.”
The criminal complaint states Caldwell was at an apartment smoking Spice, a synthetic marijuana. When a dispute broke out, Caldwell reportedly pulled out his gun and began to fire.
Others inside the apartment hurried to lock themselves in a bedroom. The criminal complaint says that group of people included an 8-year-old and a 2-year old. Their mother told police they were terrified.
Lee said she heard four or five shots, and she also has small children.
“[It’s] scary because you never know if there’s going to a flying bullet that goes in your house and hitting one of us or the kids,” she said. “It’s really scary.”
Caldwell appeared in court Friday. A judge ordered his release and placed him under pretrial supervision. While no one was injured in the shooting, he’s still facing child abuse charges.
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