ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — A 29-year-old off-duty police officer was arrested in an Albuquerque-area wrong-way crash in which two people were killed early Saturday morning, authorities said.
Cuba police officer Brandon Barber, 29, was charged with homicide by vehicle, aggravated DWI and an open container violation after the crash on Interstate 25 in Albuquerque's northern outskirts, according to a criminal complaint.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office said two passengers in a SUV were killed and that the SUV's driver and the driver of a pickup truck were injured.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that sheriff's spokeswoman Jayme Fuller confirmed Barber is a Cuba police officer.
Cuba Police Chief Manuel Romero extended condolences to the families involved and said one of his officers was on administrative leave pending an internal investigation after making “a poor personal decision."
Felix Muñez, Barber’s stepfather, told the Journal that the family did not want to comment.
“Our prayers and thoughts go out to the ones that lost their lives,” he said.
Online court records didn't indicate whether Barber has an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
