Brett Rosenau: 15-Year-Old Boy Dies In House Fire After SWAT Raids House Looking For A Robbery Suspect

A 15-year-old boy is dead after Albuquerque Police Department raids a house looking for an alleged robbery suspect.

The teenage boy that tragically passed away has been identified as Brett Rosenau. He died due to smoke inhalation, according to the autopsy report.

A full autopsy report with toxicology and CO2 results will be released later by the Office of the Medical Investigator.

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Albuquerque Police Department was searching for Qiaunt Kelley because he violated probation for armed carjacking and stolen vehicle charges. When police arrived at Kelley’s home to arrest him they found a gun in his vehicle and determined that the motorcycle he was working on at the residence was stolen.

Kelley eventually fled from the police and barricaded himself inside the home. A second individual, later identified as Rosenau, followed Kelley into the home. SWAT officers from APD and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office tried for several hours to convince them to peacefully exit the home. The teams also used strategies such as public address announcements and placing a phone into the residence to make contact with the two males. Dozens of calls were made, but crisis negotiators never heard from Kelley or Rosenau.

A drone and robots were used to determine who was inside the house and to activate powder irritants inside the home to get the individuals to exit. At one point, a man believed to be Kelley, opened the back door of the home and lay on his back as officers monitored his actions. He ignored officers’ commands to stand up. He eventually sat in place. Officers used a noise flash diversionary device to get Kelley to follow commands. But he retreated into the home, shutting the door.

The stand-off ended after officers noticed smoke coming from the house. They used the drone and robot to attempt to locate the source of the smoke. They determined the fire was active inside the home. As firefighters arrived, Kelley exited the residence with burn injuries.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment and later arrested and booked into jail overnight on his warrants. Rosenau was found deceased inside the home.

Albuquerque Fire Rescue is conducting an arson investigation to determine the cause of the fire. That investigation is likely to take about two weeks.

APD Chief Medina has acknowledged the possibility that the devices used to introduce irritants into the home may have caused the fire. APD uses devices that are designed for indoor use to minimize the likelihood of igniting a fire, and no fires have been reported over the many years they have been used in Albuquerque.

Before being booked into jail, Kelley spoke briefly to detectives but declined to answer questions about the incident or any other investigations.

Because the death occurred while police were taking a suspect into custody, a multi-agency task force is conducting a criminal investigation, and the results will be forwarded to the District Attorney for review. APD will also conduct an administrative investigation to determine whether any policies were violated. APD’s Force Review Board will forward the findings to the Superintendent of Police Reform to determine if this incident met the high standards of the Albuquerque Police Department.

APD is also required to report details of the investigations to the Department of Justice and the Independent Monitor as part of the Court-Approved Settlement Agreement. In addition, APD will publicly release videos from officers who were part of the incident, as well as drones and other videos related to the incident.