Detectives found signs of a violent struggle in the moments before a police officer's bullet killed 20-year-old Sergio Juaquez, authorities said.Officer Angelo Lovato, a 23-year-old who graduated from the police academy in January, pulled Juaquez over for suspected drunken driving and was conducting a field sobriety test when the suspect ran away early Monday morning. The officer chased Juaquez as he jumped over the wall of San Jose de Armijo Cemetery near Coors Boulevard and Arenal Road Southwest, Police Chief Gilbert Gallegos said at a news conference Tuesday.Lovato, who was patrolling a new subdivision, caught up with Juaquez. The 6-foot, 280-pound suspect fought the officer and tried to wrestle away Lovato's gun, Gallegos said."During the struggle, the officer fired his weapon and fatally injured Sergio Juaquez," Gallegos said.Juaquez, an Albuquerque resident who Gallegos said had three previous drunken-driving arrests, died at the scene. No other criminal background information about Juaquez was available. Police said he was a juvenile at the time of prior offenses.
Lovato remains on standard three-day paid administrative leave, which Gallegos said may be extended if the officer needs more counseling or to be interviewed further for the investigation.Albuquerque police and Bernalillo County sheriff's deputies are investigating the shooting, which will be referred to the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office for review. Lovato's death is the first fatal police-involved shooting of the year. In 2003, five people were killed after standoffs or scuffles with police.The Albuquerque Police Department has released the identities of one of its officers and the man he killed during a struggle early Monday morning.APD Chief Gilbert Gallegos says it was 23-year-old rookie officer Angelo Lovato who shot and killed 20-year-old Sergio Juaquez during a scuffle in southwest Albuquerque.Authorities say the officer had stopped Juaquez suspicion of drunken driving at about 1:30 Monday morning. Police Chief Gilbert Gallegos says Juaquez fled on foot over a wall and into a cemetery.APD spokesperson Trish Ahrensfeld said on Monday morning that the APD officer had pulled over a driver for suspicion of drunken driving. She said a disagreement occurred, the suspect fled on foot, and a physical altercation happened at the cemetery. Gallegos said Tuesday that Lovato chased and caught Juaquez, who tried to grab the officer�s gun. Gallegos says the gun discharged during the struggle.Neighbors reported hearing four to six shots. Gallegos says further investigation will reveal how many times the gun was fired and the number of times Juaquez was shot.