ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The sheriff in New Mexico’s most populous county is crediting his department’s drone program for helping disarm two children and prevent what could have been a worse outcome.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office recently released drone and body camera footage showing a tense standoff in February with two young brothers — ages 7 and 9. The deputies are heard repeatedly urging the boys to drop the gun.
“Put it down, baby,” one of them says as other deputies say they need to keep talking to the boys.
Deputies used a non-lethal round to distract the boys before moving in. At one point, Sheriff John Allen said one of the boys raised the gun and pulled the trigger, but it malfunctioned.
Allen said the drone provided a critical vantage point to help deputies assess the situation in real time, allowing them to safely and swiftly secure the area.
No charges have been filed. Authorities have instead been working since the standoff to get the family access to trauma therapy, medical services, behavioral support and even prepaid grocery cards.
Prior to responding that day to a report of children playing with a loaded handgun, deputies had been called to the home at least 50 times for issues with the boys and their family.
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