Albuquerque bars DA from latest shooting case after she files murder charges against cops

The day after a New Mexico prosecutor charged two police officers in the shooting death of a mentally ill homeless man last year, Albuquerque officials refused to allow representatives from the District Attorney’s office to participate in the investigation of a new officer-involved shooting that occurred on Tuesday.

According to KRQE, Chief Deputy District Attorney Sylvia Martinez was barred from a briefing about a shooting that occurred Tuesday evening because, she was told, the District Attorney’s office “has a conflict of interest because we charged the officers” who shot the homeless man last year.
The District Attorney’s office typically plays a vital role in investigating police-involved shootings — issuing warrants, providing legal counsel for the officers involved, and determining whether a shooting was justified — but when DA Martinez attempted to enter the briefing about Tuesday’s shooting, City Attorney Kathryn Levy told her that the officers “wouldn’t be needing any legal advice or help” and that she “could go home.”

“I have never seen anything like this ever,” District Attorney Kari Brandenburg told KRQE. “Clearly, this could compromise the integrity of the investigation of this shooting.”http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/albuquerque-bars-da-from-latest-shooting-case-after-she-files-murder-charges-against-cops/
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