The following three cases highlight the breakdown of law enforcement in Albuquerque. 1) Failing to arrest lawbreakers, 2) Arresting the law-abiding, and 3) Excusing lawbreaking for the politically connected. Who suffers in this environment? The hardiworking people of Albuquerque.   

Carlos Morris

In June 2020, Albuquerque police officers discovered Carlos Morris covered in blood, in possession of a recently fired handgun, dragging the murdered body of Teryn Kurtz, and a trail of blood between Morris’s apartment and his car. In the apartment, there was more blood and methamphetamine. Neighbors reported hearing, “So you’re going to point a gun at me?” and then gunfire.

Morris was transported to the hospital for a gunshot wound to his wrist and then released.

Aaron Jones

On January 12, 2024, Albuquerque police officers responded to a call from a driver that a passenger in another car pointed a gun at him. The police officers found the victim waiting in the restaurant parking lot and the passenger (Aaron Jones, retired law enforcement officer and CEO of International Protective Service) of the other vehicle in the restaurant with his daughter and business associate. There were conflicting accounts of what transpired between the two vehicles, and no gun was found on Jones.   

Jones was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center, and prosecutors filed a motion to detain him, stating the situation “could have escalated into a very serious, life-threatening event.”

APD Chief Harold Medina

On February 17, 2024, APD Chief Medina was en route with his spouse to an anti-crime press conference with Mayor Keller in his unmarked APD truck. While Medina was stopped at a red light, two men began fighting on the sidewalk to the right of his vehicle. His spouse yelled, “Gun, gun!” Then shots rang out, and Medina immediately accelerated through the intersection, narrowly missing one vehicle and striking a second vehicle broadside, critically injuring the driver.

The critically injured driver was transported to the hospital. The attempted murderer escaped on foot. Police Chief Madina later drove away.

How it Ended

Carlos Morris was charged with murder and tampering with evidence on February 16, 2024, almost four years after he was found with the murder victim and weapon.

Aaron Jones was released from jail on January 18, 2024, and temporarily stripped of his right to possess a firearm. Jones’s daughter and a second individual were charged with tampering with evidence and conspiracy days later. On February 9, 2024, charges were dropped against Aaron Jones, his daughter, and the second individual. However, the charges can be refiled against the three if the prosecutor chooses.

APD Chief Medina was not charged or cited for a redlight violation, exceeding the speed limit, or reckless driving. We do not know the status of the injured driver, and the attempted murder suspect is still walking the streets of Albuquerque.

Explanation of the differences

Carlos Morris, the accused murderer, and Teryn Kurtz, the murder victim, are both invisible to City Hall.  

Aaron Jones and IPS provide security for Albuquerque residents, business owners, churches, and Right to Life organizations. In doing so, he created many powerful detractors in City Hall.

APD Chief Medina, Mayor Keller was glad Medina was uninjured. Medina was glad New Mexico has a history of ignoring Democrat leaders who break the law.

Mayor Keller and Police Chief Medina’s anti-crime press conference was canceled because of shots fired. It was just another day on the streets of Democratically-controlled Albuquerque for the rest of us.

The hard-working people of Albuquerque cannot afford private security forces to protect themselves and their families. Legal counsel is beyond their means to fight tyranny. They cannot depend on the APD to arrive when shots are fired. Lastly, they do not have the political connections to garner special treatment.  

They may not understand the Second Amendment as constitutionalists do. Still, they know the importance of armed self-defense, which is why Governor Lujan Grisham and Mayor Keller’s gun grab failed.

Image: Highway Patrol Images