Farmington officer fired five shots in fatal December shooting

• Officer Brandt Warman spotted Alicia Jackson screaming and hanging outside a truck driven by Frankie Anchondo.
• Jackson told investigators Anchondo had threatened to kill her.
• Warman fired one shot from his weapon at Anchondo, then fired an additional four shots, stopping Anchondo's "aggressive action" toward the officer.

FARMINGTON — The Farmington police officer who shot and killed a suspect last month fired five shots after the man allegedly pointed an object at the officer he believed was a gun.

The object later was identified not as a gun, but as an e-cigarette, according to New Mexico State Police.

The agency identified Officer Brandt Warman, an approximate six-year veteran of the Farmington Police Department, as the officer involved in the Dec. 20 shooting, according to a state police press release.

MORE:New Mexico State Police identify man killed by Farmington officer

The press release gives a look into what the Investigations Bureau of the New Mexico State Police has uncovered as part of the investigation.

Felicia Florez, the sister of Frankie Anchondo, the man who was killed in the shooting, said the family is declining comment on the shooting.

The shooting occurred after Warman pursued a black pickup truck Anchondo was driving.

Warman was at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and McCormick School Road around 6:20 p.m. Dec. 20 when he heard a woman later identified as Alicia Jackson screaming, waving her hands and hanging outside the window of the truck, according to Farmington police and state police press releases.

Jackson later told investigators Anchondo had threatened to kill her. Warman and Jackson were not injured during the incident.

Fearing for Jackson's safety and believing she had been abducted, Warman attempted to stop the truck, but Anchondo avoided the stop and sped away.

MORE:UPDATE: Farmington officer shoots, kills suspect

The truck was traveling along Broadway Avenue toward the Bloomfield Highway, also known as U.S. Highway 64. Warman pursued the truck in his patrol vehicle. Anchondo was weaving in and out of traffic as he drove, at one point passing traffic on the shoulder of the road, the press release states.

The truck then turned north onto Riverstone Road from U.S. Highway 64 and turned off its lights. The press release states the road was dark and unlit at the time.

Warman followed the truck onto Riverstone Road, slowly approaching the vehicle until his patrol vehicle came to a complete stop.

Before Warman's vehicle came to a complete stop, Jackson jumped out the passenger window of the truck, according to the press release.

Anchondo exited the truck and started to approach Warman, charging toward the officer while "holding and pointing a dark object with both hands at the officer as if it were a gun," the press release states.

MORE:State Police officer shot, suspect killed in Farmington

Anchondo ignored Warman's commands to stop, and Warman believed Anchondo had a gun and was about to shoot him, the press release states.

Warman fired one shot from his weapon at Anchondo, then fired an additional four shots, stopping Anchondo's "aggressive action" toward the officer, the press release states.

The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator pronounced Anchondo dead at the scene.

An e-cigarette was identified as the object located near Anchondo's body at the scene.

Warman was placed on paid administrative leave following the shooting. Farmington police spokeswoman Georgette Allen said today Warman is still on paid administrative leave.

The incident remains under investigation. Once completed, the case will be referred to 11th Judicial District Attorney's Office in Farmington for review.

The shooting was the first fatal officer-involved shooting for the Farmington Police Department since a pair of officer-involved shootings occurred in January 2013.

Joshua Kellogg covers crime, courts and social issues for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.