ALBUQUERQUE, NM — An Albuquerque family has received $1 million to settle a lawsuit over a deadly fire during a SWAT operation that destroyed their home.
Sundra Coleman’s family received $600,000 from Bernalillo County and $400,000 from the City of Albuquerque to a settle lawsuit filed in 2024 over the operation.
In July 2022, Albuquerque police officers and Bernalillo County sheriff’s deputies tracked a suspect to Coleman’s home and used tear gas canisters to try to get him out. However, the canisters started a fire that destroyed all of the family’s belongings – and killed 15-year-old Brett Rosenau and a family pet.
Coleman sued the city and the county, claiming officers held the family at gunpoint during the operation and that they had to live in their car for several months. They also cited an attorney general’s office investigation that found the fire could’ve been avoided if law enforcement had used other means…