APD records 14th officer shooting

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Albuquerque police officers report they confronted a man who was threatening himself and others with a knife and shot him when he turned on them.

The man, Russell Ray Tenorio, 38, is in stable condition at University of New Mexico Hospital after being shot once with a gun and once with a Taser.

Officers responded to his house at 1417 Alamo SE around 8 p.m. Thursday after Tenorio's sister-in-law called 911. She told the dispatcher, "He's saying he's going to slice his throat and I'm afraid that he's going to hurt his wife." The 911 call was released Friday afternoon.

According to police, the family said Tenorio had previous episodes like this, but this time they couldn't calm him down or quell his demand for more liquor. Police said they knew how violent the situation was before going into the house, and that's why one officer was armed with a beanbag shotgun and other had a Taser.

Two others had only their guns.

Police said Tenorio refused several requests to drop the knife and lunged at the officers. That's when Officer Brian Pitzer shot Tenorio with a gun about the same time Officer Doug Moore deployed his Taser.

Officers said the cramped quarters inside the home where Tenorio was shot also played a role in officers being threatened with the knife.

Both officers have been placed on standard three-day paid leave following the shooting. Two of the officers who entered the house had been specifically trained to deal with suicidal individuals.

This is the 14th officer-involved shooting this year.  Nine of those have been fatal.

"We know there have been a lot of shootings and we're concerned about it and we're going to do everything we can to evaluate these shootings to determine exactly what were the causes and if something could be done differently," said Public Safety Director Darren White.