Overview

• Two boys, ages 7 and 9, engaged in a six-minute standoff with deputies, passing a loaded handgun while refusing to drop the weapon.
• Drone surveillance provided real-time updates, allowing officers to de-escalate the situation without resorting to deadly force.
• Deputies fired non-lethal rounds at a wall to disarm the boys and ultimately detained them without charges or arrests.
• Authorities are investigating how the boys accessed the firearm, with potential charges against adults under New Mexico's Bennie Hargrove law.
• The Sheriff's Behavioral Health Unit is providing support to the family, which has a documented history of trauma and systemic barriers to care.