For the first time in Albuquerque Police history, two police officers will face criminal charges for killing someone in the line of duty.
According to TIME, Keith Sandy and Dominique Perez were hit with murder charges on Monday for the death of homeless man James Boyd. In March 2014, Boyd was killed by the officers after he was found camping in the foothills of New Mexico's Sandia Mountains. Boyd was armed with two knives and had a history of mental illness. While assuring the officers he wasn't a threat, helmet camera footage from the officers shows Perez and Sandy shooting at Boyd. After the 38-year-old was on the ground, officers continued to shoot bean bags at him. Boyd was shot in the chest twice and died at a local hospital the following day.
The body cam footage is the first of its kind that has been used as legal evidence against police officers. Bernalillo County district attorney Kari Brandenburg, who filed the open murder charges, briefly spoke about the importance of the footage.
"The video is instrumental in pointing out some of the issues in the investigation."
The open charges gives prosecutors a chance to place first-or-second-degree murder or manslaughter charges on Sandy and Perez.
Since the incident, Sandy has retired from the force. His lawyer Sam Bregman slammed the DA for the open murder charges.
"The decision by the DA to charge Keith Sandy is unjustified and a bad decision by the DA's Office," Bregman said. "Keith, as a police officer, has not only the right, but the duty to defend a fellow officer from a mentally unstable, violent man wielding two knives."
If convicted of the crime, the men could face six years in prison or possible life sentences depending on the murder charges the trial jury chooses. Body cams are predicted to bring more criminal cases against police officers. Georgetown law professor and former prosecutor Paul Butler claimed prosecutors are often quick to agree with officers but body cameras will reveal a whole other layer to a case.
"Body cams should increase the number of criminal cases brought against police officers," he said. "When there is doubt, people believe the police over civilians, especially when the civilians are suspects in some kind of criminal conduct. Knowing this, prosecutors are often reluctant to bring charges against police officers, even when the prosecutors themselves believe the officers are guilty."
