Farmington, NM (KKOB) – The City of Farmington will pay $6 million to settle a lawsuit after police made a mistake there years ago, when officers responded to a disturbance call but showed up at the wrong house, and shot and killed the homeowner when he opened the door.
In April 2023, around 11:30 p.m., Farmington Police got a call about a domestic disturbance at a home and knocked on the door, but officers soon realized they had gone to the wrong home.
Robert Dotson was asleep and as he went to open the door, he grabbed his gun, when Dotson opened the door, police saw the gun and fired 12 shots, hitting and killing him.
Moments later, Dotson’s wife, Kimberly, came downstairs seeing her husband on the ground, she believed her home was under attack not knowing it was police, so she shot her own gun outside. Police fired 19 rounds, but she was not injured.
In July 2025, Mrs. Dotson filed a lawsuit against the city of Farmington and some of the officers, claiming three Farmington officers violated her husband’s Fourth Amendment rights against unwarranted search and seizure; the lawsuit also argued the city failed to properly train officers in proper use of force.
Last year, the court dismissed part of the lawsuit, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to show the officers willfully violated Dotson’s constitutional rights, but acknowledged they were negligent.
