ALBUQUERQUE – A $4 million settlement has been reached in the case of a mentally ill woman who was shot and killed by New Mexico deputies.
The agreement was signed Wednesday, less than two months after the woman’s family sued the Bernalillo County Commission and Sheriff Manuel Gonzales, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Authorities responded to the family’s home last summer after a relative called 911 saying Elisha Lucero, 28, had hit her uncle. The relative told authorities Lucero was mentally ill, needed help and was a threat to herself and others.
When deputies arrived, they said Lucero initially refused to come out of the home and then ran out screaming and armed with a knife. Lt. Alfonso Rodriguez and deputies Jonathan Aguilar and Ryan Schmidt shot Lucero, hitting her at least 21 times. She died at the scene.
The shooting was criticized by Lucero’s family and by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, which has pushed for the sheriff’s office to equip deputies with lapel cameras.
While the settlement doesn’t include any policy changes, attorney Shannon Kennedy said the family plans to work with the ACLU and others to seek legislation that would mandate officers and deputies have body cameras.
