{"id":34536,"date":"2023-04-21T19:07:31","date_gmt":"2023-04-22T01:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dotson-family-expresses-anger-calls-for-police-reform-in-farmington\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:19:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:19:01","slug":"dotson-family-expresses-anger-calls-for-police-reform-in-farmington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/dotson-family-expresses-anger-calls-for-police-reform-in-farmington\/","title":{"rendered":"Dotson family expresses anger, calls for police reform in Farmington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Kimberly
Kimberly Dotson, with her children Julia Dotson and Zach Mora-Dotson, spoke at a news conference April 20 and called for major reform within Farmington Police Department. (Debra Mayeux\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Robert Dotson, 52, did not know it was police at the door when they came to his house, 5305 Valley View Ave., shortly before midnight April 5 in response to a domestic violence call.<\/p>\n

It was the wrong house.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had no business being at the house on the right,\u201d said Shon Northam, one of the family\u2019s attorneys.<\/p>\n

The correct house, 5308 Valley View, was across the street on the left, as was pointed out that night by Farmington Police Officer Dylon Goodluck, in a video captured by the family\u2019s Ring doorbell camera. The video was shared by Northam during a Thursday news conference at the Courtyard by Marriott.<\/p>\n

Goodluck, a rookie officer, was not acknowledged by the other two officers until after the shooting that led to Dotson\u2019s death, according to Northam.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis horrific night that happened was like a horrible nightmare. This gross act of not being at the right address has taken everything from me. We cannot figure out how to breathe,\u201d said Kimberly Dotson, Robert Dotson\u2019s wife. She said her husband was trying to protect her and their children. \u201cYou were ambushed by a firing squad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Three Farmington police officers opened fire on Dotson when he came to the door with a gun that night.<\/p>\n

\u201cRobbie never had a chance. He was never told they were there. He didn\u2019t know it was law enforcement,\u201d Northam said. \u201cThere is no way, shape, or form Robbie would\u2019ve come to the door with a gun knowing they were law enforcement out there. He simply didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Shon
Shon Northam identified officers Waylon Wasson and Dylon Goodluck as two of the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Robert Dotson, pointing out that Goodluck said more than once that they were at the wrong location. (Debra Mayeux\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The officer, who led the other two through the gate and to Dotson\u2019s front door, was identified by Northam as Waylon Wasson. He \u201cjoined FPD as a community service officer in March 2018 and transitioned to police officer in June 2019,\u201d according to a 2022 news release from the department regarding another officer-involved shooting in which Wasson discharged his firearm.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaylon Wasson is a trigger-happy cop,\u201d Northam said.<\/p>\n

On June 23, 2022, Wasson attempted to pull over a driver who reportedly was driving recklessly in the 1000 block of Sullivan Avenue. The driver, Ladarius Tinhorn, reportedly \u201caccelerated in the officer\u2019s direction, nearly pinning him against his vehicle and causing minor injuries to the officer. The officer fired, and the car fled,\u201d the news release stated.<\/p>\n

The vehicle occupants were not injured in this case.<\/p>\n

Northam said the goal is to change \u201cthe culture\u201d of the Farmington Police Department.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Farmington Police Department has a well-known history in the community of using unjustified deadly force and excessive force and having not been held accountable,\u201d Northam said. He added that he and the family want Farmington City Council to call an emergency meeting to dismiss Police Chief Steve Hebbe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re calling out the mayor of Farmington, the Farmington City Council, because Steve Hebbe doesn\u2019t have the guts or the courage to fire himself, even though he\u2019s failed time and time again. He\u2019s a coward. He won\u2019t fire himself,\u201d Northam said.<\/p>\n

Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett said he wants to see how the New Mexico State Police investigation ends.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy heart is broken for this family and our community and our police department as well,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m asking our community and the nation as a whole to withhold judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a community that has good law enforcement agencies. They\u2019re well trained. They\u2019re doing a good job, and it\u2019s an unfortunate situation that has occurred,\u201d Duckett said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to respect that system and see this process play out. Let\u2019s support one another to the best of our abilities and support those who have been impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FPD also issued a prepared statement, saying there is an ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur department is committed to cooperating with the New Mexico State Police for a thorough and fair investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Dotson\u2019s death. It is important to let the legal process take its course and not draw conclusions before all the facts are known. We will continue to cooperate with the appropriate agencies and provide updates to the public as the investigation progresses. We will continue to work with transparency and integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kimberly
Kimberly Doston expressed her anger and desire for no other family to have to experience a similar tragedy at Thursday\u2019s news conference. (Debra Mayeux\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Kimberly Dotson said she was angry, but not anti-police.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate the sacrifice that many police officers make every day. However, we want to ensure that this tragedy that has devastated our family does not ever happen again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are demanding a reform for proper training, de-escalation processes, background screening, mandatory therapy to help them deal with the stresses of their job and annual audits by a community watchdog to review a force of investigations in officer involved shootings,\u201d Kimberly Dotson said.<\/p>\n

According to data collected by Mapping Police Violence<\/a>, New Mexico had the second-highest rate for individuals killed by police, behind Wyoming, with 32 deaths in 2022, a rate of 15.11 people killed by police per million. Dotson is the second person killed by police in 2023 in New Mexico. Mapping Police Violence is a project led by Campaign Zero, a nonprofit that advocates for police reform.<\/p>\n

Albuquerque Police Department was responsible for 22 of the shooting deaths, a record number for the department, which led to departmentwide changes in training requirements, according to a recent interview <\/a>given by APD Chief Harold Medina.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a political case. It\u2019s called doing the right thing. The entire world is watching, folks. It\u2019s your move,\u201d Northam said, adding he and the family plan to file a case in federal court once their investigation is complete.<\/p>\n

The family will have a private memorial for Robert Dotson Monday, April 24. They are raising funds through a Venmo account and are seeking more information about police-involved shootings through the family\u2019s website, Justice for Robbie Lee Dotson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Mark
Mark Reichel, a criminal and civil attorney from California who has extensive federal and appellate court experience, is one of two attorneys representing the family and estate of Robert Dotson. (Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Dotson family\u2019s legal team consists of Mark Reichel and Shon Northam.<\/p>\n

Reichel is a criminal and civil attorney out of Sacramento, California. He has tried multiple cases involving civil rights complaints against law enforcement, the most notable of which is United States v. Grubbs, which was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

Reichel has been an attorney since 1991, and in that time has handled about 25 cases on appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and worked for Office of the Federal Defender in Sacramento for 13 years before entering private practice in 2005. He was not in attendance at Thursday\u2019s news conference.<\/p>\n

Northam is a graduate of California Western School of Law and has been practicing law since 1999. He is a former Tehama County, California deputy district attorney. Northam has been a criminal defense attorney since 2006.<\/p>\n

According to a State Bar of California license search<\/a>, Northam\u2019s license to practice law was suspended twice, in 2014 and 2017, for noncompliance with continuing-education requirements. He was also disciplined and placed on two years\u2019 probation in 2015.<\/p>\n