ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office reported the death of two individuals following a wrong-way head-on collision on I-25 early Saturday morning. Officials say the crash happened around 2:00 a.m. on southbound I-25, just north of Tramway.
When BCSO deputies arrived on the scene, they found a black Ford F-150 pickup and a black GMC Yukon that had been in an accident. The GMC had rolled over onto its driver’s side. A witness at the scene of the crash told deputies the pickup was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of I-25 with its headlights off and struck the GMC head-on.
According to a criminal complaint, the driver of the GMC suffered serious injuries and transported to UNM Hospital. The passenger and rear passenger of the GMC were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the F-150 has been identified as 29-year-old Brandon Roybal Barber. Cuba Police Chief Manuel Romero has confirmed with KRQE that Barber is a probationary police officer with Cuba police. Barber has been put on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
The complaint states Barber was found by deputies walking around the scene disoriented. DWI deputies believed Barber to be impaired. During a field sobriety test, Barber stopped and asked to be taken to a hospital. Deputies found a half-full bottle of alcohol in Barber’s truck.
Barber has been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide, aggravated DWI, and possession of an open container. BCSO shut down all lanes of traffic following the accident but they have since reopened.
