A 26-year-old man died in the county jail over the weekend.
Officials say Pete Salazar had a medical emergency at the Metropolitan Detention Center Sunday morning. They said jail staff and the University of New Mexico Hospital medical team tried to save his life but after 24 minutes their efforts were unsuccessful.
Salazar had been booked on Jan. 18, 2024 for three felony warrants and other charges after an Albuquerque Police Officer saw him and other individuals trespassing near Central and Western Skies NE. According to court documents, officers searched Salazar’s tent and found a total of 772 suspected fentanyl pills, more that $4,000 dollars and .380 caliber handgun. A hearing to keep Salazar in custody was held on Jan. 22, where the District Attorney’s office argued successfully to keep him behind bars. Salazar listed no next of kin on his booking sheet.
According to Candace Hopkins, MDC’s Public Information Officer, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office was notified and responded to the facility. The incident is pending investigation by the MDC Office of Professional Standards and BCSO. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator will investigate the cause of death.
This is the first inmate death of 2024. There were 9 deaths in 2023, 4 in 2022, 6 in 2021 and 8 in 2020.