Police went to a New Mexico house and shot the homeowner dead. Now his family is getting $6 million

A wrong-house mistake by police ended with the fatal shooting of a New Mexico homeowner and a $6 million settlement. The city of Farmington has agreed to pay the amount to settle civil claims brought by the family of Robert Dotson, a 52-year-old man who was shot and killed on his own doorstep after officers went to the wrong address.

The settlement, obtained through a public-records request by local journalists, brings a multi-year legal fight to an end.

According to Guessing Headlights, the incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on April 5, 2023, when Farmington police received a domestic violence call from 5308 Valley View Avenue. Three officers, Daniel Estrada, Dylan Goodluck, and Waylon Wasson, responded to the call. Instead of going to 5308, however, they walked up to 5305, where Dotson lived with his wife, Kimberly.

The disaster only lasted two seconds

Goodluck had checked Google Maps on his phone and it correctly showed 5308 on the north side of the street. He also told the other officers that the house should be the “third house on the left.” But when Wasson walked toward the other side of the street, Goodluck followed.

The house they approached was marked 5305, with the number clearly visible under an exterior light. Wasson still knocked and identified the group as police. After waiting about 28 seconds without an answer, he knocked again. The officers then asked dispatch to contact the original caller and confirm the address. Wasson knocked a third time.

Goodluck then questioned whether they were at the right house, pointing out that the number appeared to be 5305. Wasson asked dispatch to check again and was told 5308.

Before the officers could leave, the front door opened. Dotson, who had been awakened by the repeated knocking, appeared with a handgun. Body-camera footage showed him raising the weapon toward the officers. Wasson ordered him to put his hands up, but the three officers opened fire almost immediately.

Dotson was hit 12 times. According to the body-camera timestamps, only about two seconds passed between the door opening and the shooting.

Kimberly heard the gunfire and ran downstairs, believing someone was attacking their home. She grabbed her own gun and fired several shots into the darkness. A brief exchange of gunfire followed, but neither she nor the officers was hit.

The officers were later cleared of criminal wrongdoing. In January 2024, the New Mexico Department of Justice said it would not bring charges against them. A use-of-force expert concluded that Dotson had created an imminent threat by raising a gun at close range, regardless of the officers’ initial mistake.

There was no admission of liability by the police

The family then pursued civil claims. In May 2025, U.S. District Judge Matthew Garcia granted the officers qualified immunity and dismissed the family’s federal Fourth Amendment claim. Garcia described the officers’ navigation mistakes as highly negligent but ruled that they did not amount to a constitutional violation once Dotson pointed a weapon at them.

The family had also filed claims under the New Mexico Civil Rights Act and Tort Claims Act. Those state-level claims eventually resulted in the $6 million settlement with Travelers Insurance.

The agreement does not include an admission of liability or wrongdoing from the city of Farmington or any of the officers.