Questions surround the fatal shooting of an airman by Air Force Security Forces during a pursuit outside Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico at the end of last month.
Airman Basic Brion Teel-Scott, 27, was shot around 2 a.m. near the Truman Gate of Kirtland AFB while allegedly fleeing an attempted detention, according to an official statement from the base. A second airman sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the hand during the off-base pursuit.
“Losing a member of your team is never easy, but the circumstances of this incident make it that much harder,” said Col. Michael Power, commander of the 377th Air Base Wing. “Additionally, we are ensuring our injured defender, the Wingmen of both members, and our base community receive the best possible care and support.”
Teel-Scott, a member of the 377th Security Forces Squadron, was pronounced dead at the scene on a road across from the Truman Gate, between a Taco Bell and an apartment complex.
Robert Smith, Kirtland AFB’s chief of media relations, confirmed that Teel-Scott had a firearm in his possession but declined to say whether he fired it. Smith revealed that Teel-Scott had requested a discharge under “other than honorable” conditions due to an impending court-martial on domestic dispute charges. He was scheduled to be discharged and sent home to Bordentown, New Jersey, on February 24—just two days after he was killed.
“He was killed an hour and a half after his 28th birthday. You turn 28 at midnight; you don’t think your life is going to end at freaking 1:30 a.m.,” said Shawn Scott, Teel-Scott’s father, in an interview with the Albuquerque Journal. “That was his unit. Truman was his gate. … Those are people that he’s worked with.”
Scott, a Marine veteran, expressed frustration at the lack of answers from the military. He was looking forward to reuniting with his son, who leaves behind a 9-month-old daughter named Autumn.
Smith provided a detailed account of Teel-Scott’s disciplinary history, stating that he had received two nonjudicial punishments under the Uniform Code of Military Justice—one for cocaine use and another for multiple instances of marijuana use.
“Teel-Scott was pending trial by court-martial for charges of domestic violence and dereliction of duty,” Smith said. “He requested a discharge under other than honorable conditions in lieu of court-martial.”
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According to Smith, Teel-Scott’s vehicle was stopped at the Truman Gate off Gibson SE, just west of San Mateo, by fellow airmen from the security forces unit where he had worked. During a subsequent search of his vehicle, drugs were reportedly found. Smith did not specify the reason for the initial stop or why a search was conducted.
“Teel-Scott disobeyed the commands of Security Forces and fled the scene, prompting a pursuit,” Smith said. The chase led off base, crossing Gibson SE, before security forces shot and killed Teel-Scott. One security force member was also injured during the incident.
Teel-Scott’s father said that airmen who were friends with his son told him the stop was due to an expired vehicle registration and that guards smelled cannabis in the car. Beyond that, Scott said, “nothing’s concrete.” He added that he does not believe his son would have shot at fellow squadron members.
When asked, Smith declined to specify how many bullets were fired or how many security force members shot at Teel-Scott.
“As standard practice and policy following an incident, the Air Force will conduct a separate Use of Force Review Board to look at the circumstances surrounding the event,” Smith said. “This is independent of the investigation by the Office of Special Investigation.”
Teel-Scott was a 2015 graduate of Bordentown High School in New Jersey, where he played football and basketball.
Kirtland Air Force Base, covering nearly 52,000 acres in Albuquerque, is larger than Hudson County and employs more than 22,000 people.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations, along with the FBI and Albuquerque police, is investigating the shooting.
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