Community members want deputy who killed Mescalero Apache teenager charged

KUNM | By Bella Davis, New Mexico In Depth
Published September 13, 2024 at 11:27 AM MDT

Calls for justice for a 17-year-old Mescalero Apache boy killed by a sheriff’s deputy in June rang out Sept. 7 as the sun disappeared behind the hills bordering the tribe’s reservation in southern New Mexico.

Drivers sped past, some honking to show support for the dozens of people walking along U.S. Highway 70 to honor Elijah Hadley. People helped older relatives make their way, and mothers pushed their children in strollers.

Grief and outrage over Hadley’s death hung over the crowd as they traveled about a mile from a nearby church to the spot on the highway median where Hadley was killed.

The teenager was making that same walk on June 25 when Otero County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Diaz-Austin was dispatched to conduct a welfare check on him. Diaz-Austin ordered Hadley to show his hands, then shot Hadley just as he was dropping what turned out to be an airsoft pistol — a replica gun that’s designed to shoot non-metal rounds.

“It’s just a BB gun,” Hadley screamed, falling to the ground.

More:
https://www.kunm.org/local-news/2024-09-13/community-members-want-deputy-who-killed-mescalero-apache-teenager-charged

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Earlier article:

FRI: Town seeks #JusiceForElijah with march for answers, Top cop in DWI scandal fired, + More
KUNM | By KUNM News
Published August 2, 2024 at 5:44 AM MDT

Community seeks #JusticeForElijahHadley as details remain murky more than a month after being shot and killed by sheriff’s deputy — Daniel Montano, KUNM News

Elijah Hadley was shot 19 times and killed by police in late June after throwing a BB gun to the ground out of his reach.

Following the incident, details have remained sparse. The name of the Otero County Sheriff’s Deputy involved has still not been released, and in various social media posts his family has said they feel betrayed by authorities.

Now, more than a month later, the hashtag #JusticeForElijahHadley has been trending, and the community is planning a march demanding answers on Saturday at 9 a.m. from the Otero County Fairgrounds to the Sheriff’s Office, with parking at the mall.

The video of the shooting, released by KOAT News, shows the deputy pulling up to Hadley on the side of the freeway. The deputy tells Hadley to stop, which the teen does before throwing an airsoft pistol off to his right. He had been complying with the deputy’s instructions and was in fact no longer holding the BB gun, but the deputy fired four times, dropping Hadley to the ground.

The deputy called for backup and then stood behind his door waiting for more officers to arrive, but after a few minutes, Hadley began to move slightly, and the deputy shot the boy another 15 times while he still lay on the ground, warning him, quote, “don’t go for that gun.”

More:
https://www.kunm.org/kunm-news-update/2024-08-02/high-ranking-apd-officer-dwi-scandal-fired-another-resigns




Otero County deputy Jacob Diaz-Austin's dash camera shows Elijah Hadley dropping a BB gun before the deputy opened fire.

New Mexico State Police