The main news of Wednesday
Five facts of Wednesday
[1] APD releases video of downtown homicide, police shooting at gas station – APD has released video of a fatal police shooting late last month at a Valero gas station at Coors and I-40. The reverse video shows them finding Keshawn Thomas in the driver’s seat with an open container in the cup holder. Thomas admits to the officers that he is drunk, the officers and Thomas begin arguing with each other for several minutes before the officers tell him that someone has to take his car. The reverse video shows Thomas sitting in his car before pulling out what all three officers at the scene said was a handgun and pointing it at the officers, causing them to open fire. APD says they found a loaded handgun on the floor of the vehicle and a magazine was found in the driver’s seat. APD Chief Harold Medina said officers could have done a better job of communicating before the shooting. When asked by reporters, he said that at certain points in the incident, the officers appeared to be “frustrated” with Thomas.
[2] Taos student stabbed, suspect in custody – A Taos High School cross country runner who was injured by a campus intruder is now in stable condition. An eighth-grader was running laps at Taos Middle School Monday afternoon when he was randomly stabbed. Police say the boy had stopped for a break and was sitting on a bench when 27-year-old Brandon McMillan approached, saying he had come to pick up his son. When the student told the man he was not his father, McMillan stabbed him in the neck and stomach. A parent and a teacher detained McMillin until police arrived.
[3] Heavy rain in northern and western New Mexico – Rains move northeast across metro, central and northern New Mexico, with more widespread showers in western New Mexico. Western and northern New Mexico will have a rainy day with scattered showers and thunderstorms through Thursday. A flash flood watch will remain in effect for northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado until Thursday evening. A shower or storm is possible in the metro tonight, but most places will be dry. There is a better chance of rain in the metro on Thursday and Friday. Skies will be dry throughout the weekend.
[4] After a decade of decline, scholarship gives NMSU enrollment boost – New Mexico State University says enrollment up 3%; it’s growth they say they haven’t seen in more than a decade. Officials say that’s all because of the Opportunity Scholarship, which was expanded earlier this year. Of the 21,000 students this year across all NMSU campuses, data shows that more than 9,000 of them are receiving scholarships.
[5] Bernalillo County is hosting National Voter Registration – Bernalillo County is encouraging its residents to prepare for the election by registering to vote. Voters can register online or at county headquarters and Alvarado Square. Voters can use same-day voter registration at polling stations throughout the early voting period and on Election Day for the 2022 general election.