APD releases details of officer-involved shooting at SW market
ALBUQUERQUE – The Albuquerque Police Department released details of an officer-involved shooting that took place at El Mezquite market in southwest Albuquerque.
Auto Zone on west side of 98th Street, north of Central Ave.
Officers were dispatched at 3:24 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, 2023, to a check on a suspicious person in a vehicle outside of the Auto Zone, located at 131 98th St., N.W. An adult male was reported to be slumped over the steering wheel with the engine running. The manager of the store said the man had two knives visible in his shirt, loud music could be heard coming from the vehicle, and the driver had been in that condition for about two hours.
The first officer arrived at 3:32 p.m. APD’s Real Time Crime Center alerted responding officers to use caution because the driver of the vehicle, identified as Mark Peter, 41, was previously charged with battery on a peace officer, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and narcotics charges. As officers developed a plan and organized a force array with lethal and less-lethal options, they learned Peter had a confirmed felony warrant and a one misdemeanor warrant for his arrest.
Officers set up tire-deflation devices in the parking lot and started using public announcements at 3:44 p.m. to get Peter’s attention. He remained slumped over the steering wheel until 4:08 p.m., when he started driving his car from the parking spot. He drove over a tire-deflation device, which punctured the two front tires.
Strip Mall on east side of 98th Street
Peter drove across 98th Street and entered the strip mall on the east side of the road near the Church’s Fried Chicken. He stopped his car on the north end of the strip mall, exited on foot and pursuing officers saw him run behind the businesses. Witnesses reported seeing him by a blue dumpster. An officer later spotted a man, believed to be Peter, walking southbound behind the businesses and trying unsuccessfully to open doors.
As officers arrived behind the business from the north, another officer pulled up in his vehicle to the south, behind the Subway restaurant. He noticed a man walking toward him and the officer started giving commands. As he pointed his rifle at Peter, he identified himself as a police officer, told the man several times that he was not free to leave, and told him to put his hands up. Peter continued to walk toward the officer, then turned west between two buildings, where another officer was exiting his police vehicle. Peter verbally responded to the commands directed toward him, but continued to walk away from the first officer who was yelling for him to stop. The officer called out over his police radio that the suspect had a knife, and both officers yelled at Peter not to reach for anything.
El Mezquite market, 100 98th St. N.W.
Peter turned the corner of the building, which was El Mezquite market, heading south along the front of the business. Officers followed him and yelled at Peter to get on the ground. A sergeant called over the radio for someone to bring a less-lethal impact launcher. As Peter started to jog toward the entrance of the market, the sergeant yelled for officers not to allow him to enter the market. Officers started running as Peter turned into the entrance running inside.
Peter quickly approached an area near cash registers where employees and customers were standing or pushing shopping carts. Peter turned back toward officers with a handgun in his right hand. A pursuing officer yelled, “Tazer, Tazer, Tazer,” and he deployed his electronic control weapon, which made contact with Peter. As Peter was struck by the Tazer, he fired his handgun toward officers, which can be seen from the officer’s on-body recording device video and surveillance video. As Peter fell back he continued to fire his handgun. Investigators determined that Peter fired at least 13 shots.
Three officers returned gunfire toward Peter, and the officer who used his Tazer, transitioned back to his rifle and fired rounds at Peter. Peter was struck by multiple gun shots and he died at the scene. An autopsy revealed Peter retained 27 projectiles; one of those was a self-inflicted gunshot to his left thigh.
The gun that Peter used was a Taurus 9mm handgun. He also had knives around his waist and neck and another gun magazine with live rounds. A search of Peter’s car revealed one, 9mm round, 14, 45 auto rounds, and a black air soft gun.
A total of 59 bullet casings were located on scene – 45 from officers’ firearms and 13 from Peter’s firearm. One casing is still being analyzed.
Previous incident
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office had a similar call for service for Mark Peter on April 8, 2023. He was at a car wash at 3308 Coors Blvd SW, inside his vehicle “down and out.” Mark Peter exited the vehicle armed with knives and a loaded 9mm handgun magazine. He was compliant with deputies and detained. A search warrant was conducted for that incident and a different Taurus 9mm handgun was recovered. It was fully loaded, with a round in the chamber. Several blue pills in baggies and a baggie of a clear crystal substance were located in fake containers designed to hide items. The containers were a Fake Arizona Tea container, a fake Eclipse Gum container and a fake battery container.
Over the next several months, APD will continue to investigate and analyze this incident. Detectives will continue interviewing any new witnesses that come forward and complete any forensic tests. After the investigation is complete, APD’s Force Review Board will forward the findings to the Superintendent of Police Reform to determine if this incident met the high standards of the Albuquerque Police Department. The Multi-Agency Task Force will forward its case to the District Attorney’s Office to make any determination of criminal charges.
SUBJECT: Mark Peter, 41
INVOLVED OFFICERS:
Sgt. Gianfranco Di Paolo, who has been with the department since 2015, has not been involved in any officer-involved shootings.
Officer Brandon Perez, who has been with the department since 2016, has not been involved in any officer-involved shootings.
Officer Anthony Trujillo, who has been with the department since 2016, has not been involved in any officer-involved shootings.
Officer Damian Dudnow, who has been with the department since 2020, has not been involved in any officer-involved shootings.
###