ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) Santa Fe Archbishop Michael Sheehan says the fatal police shooting of a man struggling with schizophrenia convinced him that the Albuquerque police needed drastic reforms. Sheehan told The Associated Press on Wednesday that before the 2011 shooting of 27-year-old Christopher Torres, he generally supported the embattled Albuquerque Police Department. But Sheehan says after that shooting, he began to have serious doubts the agency could change without federal intervention.
A New Mexico judge ordered the city of Albuquerque this month to pay more than $6 million in connection with the wrongful death of Torres in his yard by two undercover officers. The judge wrote the use of deadly force violated Torres' constitutional rights.
The city is negotiating with the U.S. Justice Department over pending ordered reforms concerning use of force.
