By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• The city of Albuquerque has agreed to pay $6.5 million to the family of a man fatally shot by police during a 2022 mental health crisis call, ending a federal lawsuit, officials said.
• The fatal shooting of 41-year-old Jesus “Jessie” Crosby involved five officers who encountered him pacing and clutching nail clippers.
• Crosby was shot multiple times after officers attempted to de-escalate and threatened Taser use, according to court documents.
• The settlement, one of the largest in recent Albuquerque police shooting cases, followed policy changes within the department.
• The city said it is continuing efforts to improve responses to people experiencing mental health crises.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — The city of Albuquerque has agreed to a $6.5 million settlement in a lawsuit over the 2022 fatal shooting of a man who was in the midst of a mental health crisis when officers encountered him, court records show.
The lawsuit stemmed from the November 2022 encounter with 41-year-old Jesus “Jessie” Crosby, who was pacing and clutching nail clippers near the Downtown Police Headquarters parking lot when five Albuquerque Police Department officers attempted to detain him, according to filings.
Officers repeatedly ordered Crosby to surrender and threatened to use Tasers before two officers fired their guns and two others discharged Tasers, striking Crosby. He was shot 11 times during the encounter and died at the scene, records indicate.
The settlement, among the largest paid by the city in a police shooting case in recent years, ends litigation that had been scheduled for a jury trial. The case prompted the department to revise use-of-force policies.
City officials said in a statement that the incident “should have been handled differently” and affirmed ongoing efforts to improve responses to individuals experiencing mental health crises.