SANTA FE, N.M. — A former police officer has been convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a Black man during an altercation at a New Mexico gas station in 2022.
The jury’s decision regarding Las Cruces officer Brad Lunsford adds to the growing scrutiny of law enforcement practices concerning the treatment of Black individuals, particularly in light of the national conversations that intensified after George Floyd’s death in May 2020 at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Lunsford, who maintains his innocence, had a defense attorney, Jose Coronado, who announced intentions to request a reevaluation of the jury’s verdict on legal grounds. In a statement, Coronado expressed disappointment, asserting that the prosecution had failed to prove their case adequately.
The prosecution detailed how Lunsford shot Presley Eze at close range following a struggle that ensued after police were dispatched in response to a 911 call from a gas station employee reporting a theft of beer by Eze. Reports indicate that Eze may have been reaching for a second officer’s stun gun just before the shooting took place.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez remarked that Lunsford’s use of lethal force was not justified, pointing out that Lunsford drew his weapon before fatally shooting Eze in the back of the head. Torrez stated that the conclusion of the trial reinforces a key tenet of justice: that nobody, including law enforcement officers, is above the law. He characterized Lunsford’s conduct as a significant misuse of authority that resulted in Eze’s tragic death.
The charge of voluntary manslaughter, which includes a firearm enhancement, could lead to a maximum sentence of nine years in prison. The trial included evidence from police body camera footage of the incident, highlighting the confrontation as officers forcibly removed Eze from a vehicle, leading to the ensuing struggle.
Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University, remarked on the challenges that prosecutors face in securing convictions for fatal shootings by police. He noted that decisions made in high-pressure situations are often viewed with caution by jurors, which makes additional scrutiny on officers difficult unless there are particularly shocking instances of misconduct involved.
Statistics compiled by Stinson and his team reveal that over the last two decades, there have been 205 criminal homicide or manslaughter charges against non-federal law enforcement officers. Out of these, 66 resulted in convictions, with only 27 specifically for homicide or manslaughter. Stinson noted that convictions usually pertain to lesser charges rather than the more severe allegations.
In the U.S., there are typically more than 900 fatal shootings involving on-duty state and local police officers each year. In this particular case, Attorney General Torrez highlighted the shooting of Eze as a preventable tragedy, emphasizing poor police tactics that escalated a minor crime into a fatal confrontation. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing issues surrounding police conduct and the need for effective reforms in law enforcement practices.
