Officer John Arthur Carrillo, a 27-year-old member of the Albuquerque Police Department, was tragically killed in the line of duty on February 22, 1987. The incident occurred while he and another officer were investigating a domestic dispute at a residence located at 4613 Hilltop Place NE in Albuquerque. The officers had responded to the call after a woman reported that she had been beaten.
Upon arrival, the officers were met by the male resident of the house, who initially denied that
any woman was present in the home. However, he invited the officers to look around the premises. As the officers followed the man upstairs, he suddenly retrieved a briefcase that contained a 9 mm handgun and opened fire on them. Officer Carrillo, who was not wearing a bulletproof vest at the time, was struck in the chest by the gunfire. The other officer on the scene quickly pulled Officer Carrillo out of the line of fire and returned fire, later receiving the Medal of Valor for his bravery during the incident.
The suspect in this tragic event was identified as a physicist employed at Sandia National Laboratories. Following the shooting, he was arrested and charged with murder and several counts of attempted murder. The suspect's defense claimed that he had fired on the officers in self-defense, but this was refuted by evidence from Officer Carrillo's tape recorder, which had been recording the entire incident. After two trials, the suspect was found guilty and subsequently sentenced to life in prison. His appeal for a new trial was denied in 1995.
Officer Carrillo had served with the Albuquerque Police Department for six years and was known by his badge number, 547. At the time of his death, he was survived by his infant son, parents, and six siblings. His death was a significant loss to the community and the police department, highlighting the risks and sacrifices made by law enforcement officers in the line of duty.
