Man Held in 4 Slayings in Albuquerque

A man accused of fatally shooting two police officers as they tried to pick him up for a mental health evaluation was charged Friday with murdering them, as well as two people in another Thursday shooting.

“A monster is behind bars,” Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez said. “This is a day we’ll never, ever forget in this community.”

John Hyde, 48, was arrested near downtown Albuquerque about two hours after the officers were shot Thursday night.

Choking back tears at a news conference, Police Chief Ray Schultz identified the slain officers as Michael King, 50, and Richard Smith, 47, both veterans with 20 years’ experience and sons of retired Albuquerque policemen.

Earlier Thursday evening, David Fisher, 17, and Garrett Iverson, 26, were found dead at a motorcycle shop. And the police chief said investigators were “reasonably sure” Hyde was also involved in a fifth slaying Thursday, that of a state Transportation Department worker shot at his job.

Schultz said Hyde was not cooperating with investigators.

He said the sequence of events was not yet clear, but for the two officers, it started with a routine call for a doctor-ordered exam. At some point, Smith and Hyde exchanged fire.