On an August evening in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a long-simmering neighborhood feud reached its tragic conclusion, leaving 48-year-old Jose Pancho Francisco Vallejos, a Hispanic male, dead from a police officer's bullet. The fatal encounter on August 10, 2020, was the culmination of months of escalating animosity between Vallejos and his neighbors, the Gomez family.
The initial seeds of discord were sown over a misunderstanding involving a whistle, which Vallejos's son believed was directed at his girlfriend. This seemingly minor incident festered, leading to numerous confrontations where Vallejos had reportedly threatened to shoot the Gomez family.
The day of the fatal shooting saw the conflict intensify. It began with Vallejos's daughter allegedly driving aggressively towards Freddie and Jacklyn Gomez. This led to a street confrontation between Freddie Gomez and Jose Vallejos, where a challenge for a fistfight was declined by Vallejos, who instead allegedly uttered threats of gun violence. Later that evening, the situation escalated dramatically when an intoxicated Vallejos confronted a friend of the Gomez family, Joshua Giacci, in his driveway. Believing Giacci to be Freddie Gomez, Vallejos pointed what was described as an AK-47 style rifle at him and threatened to kill him. Giacci, a probation and parole officer, was armed but chose not to draw his weapon to avoid a shootout, especially with his nine-year-old daughter in his nearby car. He instead took cover and called 911.
When Albuquerque police officers arrived at the tense scene on Sooner Trail N.W., they found an armed Vallejos. Officers issued commands for him to drop his weapon. According to police reports, Vallejos did not comply and instead raised his handgun toward Giacci. In response, Lieutenant Jose Sanchez of the Albuquerque Police Department fired two shots, striking Vallejos once in the chest. Vallejos succumbed to his injury at the scene. An autopsy later revealed a single gunshot wound to the chest and a very high blood alcohol level.
In the aftermath of the shooting, a special prosecutor was appointed to review the incident. The investigation included police reports, witness statements, and video evidence. The prosecutor concluded that Lieutenant Sanchez's actions were justified, stating there was sufficient evidence to believe the officer was acting under the reasonable belief that he or others faced an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm from Vallejos's actions. Consequently, no criminal charges were filed against the officer. The case was closed without any arrests of other individuals, bringing a somber end to a neighborhood dispute that had spiraled out of control.
