ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A day after police shared video from an officer-involved shooting at a Walmart in NE Heights, the mother of the suspect that was killed is speaking out. However, she didn’t speak out against the police.
“It’s hard to continue with this job sometimes when we’re fighting against pills that are 3 for $1,” said Jeanetta Salazar, substance abuse counselor and mother.
Salazar has worked as a substance abuse counselor here in Albuquerque for 15 years, but last month, her work became heartbreakingly personal.
“I know I’m not the only parent in New Mexico that has been affected by this – that has lost a child in one way or another because of this drug,” said Salazar.
Her son, 30-year-old Mark Benavidez, was shot and killed outside of the Walmart at Wyoming and Menaul after grabbing an Albuquerque Police Detective’s rifle during an attempted arrest and firing it into the ground eight times. Benavidez struggled with addiction.
“My son had lost his Medicaid four days before, and he was cut off from his methadone treatment, and anyone who works in what I work in knows that’s a recipe for disaster,” said Salazar.
It’s a devastating situation for a family member, especially a mother.
“When I watched this video, I see what is happening. I mean, that’s every parent that has an addicted child that is your worst nightmare,” said Salazar.
As a counselor in the field, she said it’s the reality of the world we live in.
“The recovery community as a whole we’re all really overwhelmed, and we’re all really trying as hard as we can, but we’re just people too,” said Salazar.
As she grieves the death of her son, she doesn’t blame the officers for the decision they had to make.
“I’m sorry for those officers I know I could hear in their voice, the desperation,” said Salazar.
She said there is one thing at fault: the fentanyl and the opioid epidemic.
“I look at addiction like that it’s an entity living in you, and everything about that drug tells people not to take help. Everything about that drug tells you that all you need is that drug,” said Salazar.
She believes the odds are stacked against addicts as treatment becomes harder to access.
“You gonna go to counseling or do you want to have these pills? I mean people are going to choose that. That’s how this addiction works, unfortunately,” said Salazar.
It’s seemingly a never-ending cycle.
“When I read the work that our police are doing, when they’re catching somebody with 200,000 pills, that makes me realize that 200,000 pills is not very much. Is that even putting a dent in it?”
She said something needs to be done at the top.
“It comes down to this when we talk about public safety. None of these issues are going to go away until we do something about this drug, and it’s going to take bold political moves on both sides, I think, to stand up and say, ‘We know what these answers could be,'” said Salazar.
She hopes eventually, this can stop happening to New Mexico’s families.
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“The pull is so much. I hate it. I hate it so much, but that’s what we’re here to deal with. I know I can’t be mad at anybody for what happened because my son made his choices,” said Salazar.
According to the New Mexico Harm Reduction Collaborative, fentanyl is the most accessible drug in Albuquerque.
