After being shot at this week during a shootout with local police close to Sandia Resort & Casino, a guy is in critical condition at a New Mexico hospital.

According to New Mexico TV station KOAT, the suspect, 35-year-old Nicolas Roach, was seen by Albuquerque, New Mexico, police on Tuesday night in the casino's parking lot.

Four police officers, fearing for their lives, opened fire in return, wounding Roach, who was taken to a nearby hospital.

Hospitalized Suspect

Roach was categorized as critically ill at the hospital as of Wednesday. His injuries were not described in detail.

After being discharged from the hospital, Roach, who has previous convictions for alleged probation violations, will be lodged at a local jail.

A weapon and shell casings were discovered by police when they examined the stolen vehicle that Roach was operating.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, police discovered that Roach had previously been arrested for narcotics offenses, shoplifting, and auto theft after doing a background check on him. In February 2022, Roach received a nine-year prison sentence. His sentence was suspended for six years, and he was freed from prison last year.

Officers tried to halt his automobile using a grappler, which immobilizes a vehicle after being hooked onto a bumper, because there was an arrest warrant out for him. 

According to the Journal, Roach has reportedly been using methamphetamine, or meth.

On Tuesday night, while police attempted to search the automobile, two of the women who were in it with Roach leaped out. The Journal reports that Amanda Hand, 34, was charged with auto theft. The identity of the second woman that the police detained was withheld.

No Officers Hurt

Mayor Harold Medina of the Albuquerque Police Department reports that no officers were hurt in the police-involved shooting on Tuesday.

Despite the device attached, Roach persisted in evading law enforcement and managed to drag a police cruiser approximately thirty feet. Then, he apparently pulled out a gun and shot the officers. 

At first, officers shot Roach with less-lethal ammo in an attempt to restrain him. They used bullets later.

As required by the department's established protocols, the officers who discharged their weapons at Roach were put on paid administrative leave while authorities investigated the event. The assessment will reveal whether the officers' use of lethal force under the circumstances was appropriate.