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Jury selection begins today in one of the highest profile murder cases in Albuquerque’s history in which two former Albuquerque police officers are charged in the fatal shooting of a homeless man illegally camping in the Sandia foothills in March 2014.

It marks the first time in at least 50 years that an Albuquerque police officer will face murder charges for an on-duty shooting.

Former Albuquerque police SWAT team member Dominique Perez and retired detective Keith Sandy were bound over for trial on second-degree murder charges after a preliminary hearing last year. A judge found there was probable cause for the charges in the shooting of mentally ill camper James Boyd.

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A second-degree murder conviction carries a sentence of 15 years in prison. A jury could also acquit the two officers or find them guilty of a lesser charge such as manslaughter.

The shooting garnered national attention because Boyd was seen on police helmet-cam video as officers tried to coax him to leave his makeshift campsite. He brandished two knives at officers, but, after a three-hour standoff, Boyd appeared to agree to leave and to begin walking down the hill when officers shot at him.

Attorneys for the former officers, who have pleaded not guilty, say they fired their rifles to save the life of a fellow police officer who was among those trying to arrest Boyd.

Police say Boyd had earlier threatened two city Open Space officers who approached him after being called to the area by a nearby resident.

An autopsy found Boyd was shot three times, including in the lower-left back, and had no alcohol or illegal drugs in his system.

Boyd suffered from schizophrenia and had been in and out of jail and the state’s mental hospital in Las Vegas, N.M., numerous times over the years. He also had a criminal history that included instances of violence against law enforcement officers.

In July 2015, the city agreed to pay $5 million to Boyd’s family to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.