Brother Names Man Shot by State Police Near Chimay

• Originally published in the ABQ Journal on 9/23/2004 [here ]

Brother Names Man Shot by State Police Near Chimayo

The Associated Press
       CHIMAYO   --   A man has been fatally shot by a state police agent who was part of a narcotics investigation team, authorities say.
    Leo Lopez, 44, of the Chimayo area, was shot three times through the windshield of his pickup truck, said his brother, Norman Lopez.
    The shooting occurred about 2 p.m. Wednesday near Chimayo on Rio Arriba County Road 101, near the intersection of Rio Arriba County Road 100, said state police Lt. Jimmy Glascock.
    Agents from a narcotics task force came into contact with the man on Rio Arriba County Road 101, Glascock said.
    The man was alone in his vehicle at the time of the shooting, Glascock said.
    Glascock declined to identify the man, the agent who fired the gun, how many shots were fired or why the shooting occurred.
    "Until investigators have had a chance to investigate all the facts and evaluate those facts, we're just not elaborating a lot at this time," Glascock said Thursday.
    Norman Lopez said he did not know the exact circumstances surrounding his brother's death because state police did not release details to him.
    "My brother never carried a weapon," Norman Lopez said. "He would never hurt anybody."
    Leo Lopez had just left his girlfriend's house before the shooting and lived about two miles from where the shooting occurred, his brother said.
    Leo Lopez has two daughters, ages 26 and 23, and a 25-year-old son, Norman Lopez said.
    State police and two detectives from the Albuquerque Police Department are investigating the shooting, he said.
    The agent has been placed on paid leave, which is standard procedure after a shooting involving an officer, Glascock said. Another officer might be placed on leave, he said.