Police officer investigated after shooting and killing suspected drug dealer in middle of Madrid street

A Madrid court is investigating a National Police officer for the manslaughter of a target suspected in drug dealing. The incident happened during an undercover operation against drug-trafficking back in January this year. The suspect - Johan Andrés M. T. - was shot dead by the defendant.

The public prosecution has joined the request of the private prosecutor for the officer to be charged with murder. The defendant has been deprived of access to his service weapon as a precautionary measure, but he continues working as a dispatcher at the Madrid police, until the case is resolved.

The police investigation that ended with Johan's death was led by the force's provincial drugs and organised crime unit (Udyco). The National Police team started work at 6am on 29 January. At 12.30pm, they watched the suspect of Colombian origin leaving his house in Valdemoro in a white Seat León. The police were then ordered to discreetly pursue and arrest him.

According to the prosecution, the pursuit reached Madrid and culminated at Calle Sinesio Delgado 18. According to video footage and recorded calls, at that point, the police took advantage of the passing of a white van, which hindered the Seat León from continuing its course. The police got out of the unmarked car with their guns in order to arrest the suspect. They put up a light to warn that it was a police vehicle. This detail will be of utmost relevance in the case, as well as the fact that they identified themselves as police officers.

The defendant went to the driver's door of the Seat to open it, but the suspect reversed in an attempt to escape. This caused the other officer, who was holding onto the passenger door, to be pushed aside in the manoeuvre, along with his partner.

"Upon hearing the sudden acceleration of the engine of the Seat León vehicle, observing that his partner had been trapped between it and the police vehicle and seeing how Johan made an attempt to look for something in the lower part of the front passenger seat, having been previously informed that he might be in possession of a firearm," the defendant shot the suspect. According to the police officer, he did it "in view of the imminent risk to his own safety, that of his partner and, possibly, that of other vehicles on the road".

Johan was hit in the abdominal area and the bullet exited on the other side. A massive haemorrhage caused multi-organ failure and subsequent hypovolemic collapse. In the video, the suspect can be heard screaming: "Oh, it got me." He collapsed seconds later.

The defendant gave a similar account to that of the prosecutor. He explained that he saw Johan "make an odd movement inside the vehicle", as if to take an object out, from "the lower part of the passenger seat". He suspected that it was a firearm, although he did not know for sure. He fired his gun after assessing the risk to his and his partner's safety.

According to the defendant, the two police officers had clearly warned Johan who they were in order to make him stop the car. In addition, they had their police badges. A third warning was given, as legally regulated. The statement also provided the transcripts of the 112 calls of some witnesses, who confirmed exactly what is seen in the videos.

The court has ordered a reconstruction by the Guardia Civil, more information on the drug-trafficking case and the audio files and their transcription from the microphone placed in Johan's car. The private prosecution, however, states that the man was speaking with an acquaintance, to whom he said he believed he was the victim of a 'vuelco' (a robbery carried out by a rival gang) and that this was why he tried to escape. The judge has not admitted the testimony of this third person as evidence, but has accepted the recording from the microphone installed in the vehicle.