Santa Fe sheriff completes Alec Baldwin ‘Rust’ shooting investigation
The “Rust” shooting investigation in Santa Fe involved the shooting of a man inside his residence by Deputy John Tovar in front of his family after a domestic disturbance. The police went on with the investigation, and after speaking with the victim, Sgt. Jose Luis Salas was called to the scene.
The two men were friends from the barrio, and Salas was assigned to the shooting. The case was investigated by two officers out of a total force of six officers. Sgt Salas said he was the only officer on the scene that evening.
The two law enforcement officials on the scene agreed that it appears that Deputy Tovar got out of his car prior to entering the house and fired his handgun into the door, shooting the 54-year-old victim in the leg. Both law enforcement officials said the victim was also shot in the chest by Tovar, but there was no damage to his lung, and he was not taken to the hospital.
The victim was taken to a hospital after the incident. After speaking with the victim, Sgt. Salas was assigned to the case for the investigation. The victim’s wife and children were present at the scene with Salas.
“Sgt Salas has been working with Lt. Daren Rizzo and they are collecting the case, documenting the statement, talking to witnesses, and doing any and all that is necessary,” the Santa Fe police department said.
The police said it appeared Deputy Tovar had violated the department’s policy, but the specific violations of the policy were not yet known.
“I just think that we need to find out what exactly happened,” Sgt. Salas said. He said it appeared that Deputy Tovar acted in a manner that was out of order. At the time of the incident, Sgt. Salas had completed seven years in training to be a deputy.
The victim’s girlfriend confirmed his identity to the police, and the victim’s daughter came up and identified the man. Sgt. Salas said his family was “very excited” over the developments.
However, both law enforcement officials said Salas is not allowed to talk