Rodney Applewhite: Family Seeks Answers After Unarmed Man Is Killed By New Mexico Police

Rodney Applewhite, 25, was driving through New Mexico recently on his way to Arizona to spend Thanksgiving with his mother and other family members.

What happened to Rodney Applewhite?

During his trip, authorities say a New Mexico State Police officer attempted to pull Applewhite over around 8:32 p.m. Nov. 19 for a traffic stop.

According to the statement, Applewhite was driving his gray Chrysler 200 on the Manzano Expressway when the first officer tried to pull him over.

He allegedly fled and the state police pursued him, using tire-deflation devices to try to stop him.

About seven minutes later, a dispatcher described his whereabouts and the two officers involved in the shooting incident found him standing outside the car. When they tried to take him into custody, Applewhite allegedly resisted arrest and grabbed one officer’s gun. The second officer shot and killed him.

Applewhite died at a local hospital later that day.

Rodney Applewhite, 25

Family of Rodney Applewhite demands answers

Rodney Applewhite’s family didn’t find out about his death until nine hours after the incident when his aunt saw the news online and they recognized his car. ⁠

Family members say they have been given few details about the shooting. According to news organization, Searchlight New Mexico, state police said they had no new details to provide, adding the shooting was under investigation.

“We just want the truth, and to know everything was done the correct way,” said Baysia Cox, Applewhite’s sister. “But we haven’t heard anything, and it just didn’t feel right to us.”

Rodney Applewhite is the second Black American to be fatally shot by police in New Mexico in the past five years.

Police shootings in New Mexico

There have been 114 fatal police shootings in New Mexico since 2015, according to a Washington Post database. Body cameras, which help document possible law enforcement abuses, were used in only 16 of those cases, the data showed.

No footage of the shooting has been released, and it’s unclear if body cameras were used.⁠