Man killed by police had alcohol in his system, but no drugs, report shows

The man killed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers in September had been drinking, but he wasn’t under the influence of any other drugs, reports released Tuesday said.

Ruben Galindo, 29, was shot and killed outside his northeast Charlotte apartment building after calling 911 on Sept. 6. Police said he raised a gun while facing officers, an account disputed by local activists. Body camera video released by CMPD is not conclusive.

Galindo’s autopsy and toxicology reports were released Tuesday. His blood alcohol content was .23 at the time of the shooting, Observer’s news partner WBTV reports. Galindo was not behind the wheel when he died, but for context, the state’s legal limit for driving is .08.

The toxicology report also said he had no drugs in his system when he was shot, WCNC reported.

Prior to the report’s release, police said Galindo appeared to be under the influence of some substance the night he was killed.

Police said Galindo was vague and difficult to communicate with during a call with a 911 operator, who spoke to him with a Spanish interpreter. Police said there was a communication barrier “due to Mr. Galindo’s demeanor,” but not a language barrier.

“Mr. Galindo stated that he had been consuming alcohol and gave conflicting statements concerning whether he had also taken drugs during his 911 call conversation,” police said on Sept. 8.

Galindo called 911 Sept. 6 and talked about turning himself in, based on 911 call recordings. He was due to appear in court days later because he’d been charged with pointing a gun at someone in April.

Responding officers shot him twice, once in the head and once in the chest, according to his autopsy, which was published by WCNC.

CMPD officers Courtney Suggs and David Guerra were placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting, while the district attorney’s office and CMPD’s internal affairs office conduct separate investigations.

This story was originally published November 14, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Man killed by police had alcohol in his system, but no drugs, report shows."