A corrections officer at a New Mexico county jail is accused of orchestrating attacks in the shower on two inmates who suffer from mental illness. A Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office incident report obtained by the Albuquerque Journal says security camera footage showed inmates “attacking other inmates while under the supervision” of officer Nathan Shpiller in July, the Associated Press reports. Johanna Sandoval, one inmate's mother, said her son, 61, is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and requires daily medication.
Shpiller, an officer at the jail since November 2022, declined to comment. He has not been charged. He was removed from duty in August and is on paid leave while the department investigates. Inmates who were involved in the attacks said they believed Shpiller targeted two inmates because of their mental health issues. The officer is accused of using pepper spray on one of the inmates while he was alone and naked in his cell. Security footage showed Shpiller repeatedly pointing his pepper spray into the food port of the inmate’s cell.