It’s the kind of story that makes you sit back and just exhale slowly. You’ve probably seen the headlines or caught a snippet of the news on a Tuesday night. In the summer of 2022, a standoff in Southeast Albuquerque turned into a literal inferno. When the smoke cleared, a kid was dead.
Brett Rosenau was 15 years old, though many early reports mistakenly called him 14. Honestly, the age doesn't make the outcome any less gut-wrenching. He wasn’t the one the police were looking for. He wasn't even a suspect. He was just a boy who followed a man into a house that wasn't theirs, and he never came back out.
The standoff that went south
The whole thing started on July 6, 2022. The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) were trying to track down 27-year-old Qiaunt Kelley. They had a warrant for his arrest—a parole violation, though police initially (and incorrectly) claimed it was a high-level federal warrant.
Detectives spotted Kelley outside a home on the 8100 block of San Joaquin SE. He was with Brett. When police moved in, both of them ran inside the house.
What followed was hours of tension. We're talking robots, drones, and negotiators. The SWAT team spent a massive amount of time trying to get them out. They made dozens of phone calls. They used a public address system. Silence.
Why the fire started
Here is where things get controversial. To force the pair out, the Albuquerque SWAT team began deploying "chemical irritants." This is a polite way of saying they bombarded the house with tear gas canisters and powder-based chemicals.
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They also used "noise flash diversionary devices"—better known as flashbangs.
Basically, a flashbang is a small explosive. It’s meant to disorient, not ignite. But when you throw a device that burns at thousands of degrees into a residential home filled with furniture and mattresses, physics takes over.
Around 1:00 a.m., a tri-chambered grenade was thrown through a window. It landed on a mattress. It started to smolder. By 2:45 a.m., SWAT used an armored vehicle to rip a hole in the wall to try and pull that smoldering mattress out.
Instead of stopping the threat, the fresh oxygen hitting those embers caused the house to erupt.
The tragic timeline
- 6:30 p.m.: Police arrive; Kelley and Rosenau retreat into the home.
- 8:00 p.m.: SWAT teams take over the scene.
- 1:00 a.m.: A gas canister lands on a mattress inside the home.
- 2:45 a.m.: Police breach the wall, and the fire intensifies.
- 3:16 a.m.: Qiaunt Kelley finally exits the house with significant burns.
Kelley told the officers that Brett was still inside. By the time firefighters could get in, it was too late. Brett Rosenau had died from smoke inhalation. An autopsy later revealed he had soot in his lungs and carbon monoxide in his system. He also had burns covering 95% of his body.
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It's a heavy detail to process. The boy was small for his age. His family said he was smart, funny, and loved sports. He was just... there.
Accountability and the $750,000 settlement
The aftermath was messy. For weeks, the community protested. People wanted to know why the house was allowed to burn for so long before anyone went in. One witness claimed the police let the fire go for 40 minutes while they "trapped them like animals."
The police department's defense was that they couldn't send firefighters in because they thought Kelley might be armed.
Then came the legal battles.
In early 2024, the City of Albuquerque settled a lawsuit with Brett’s family for $750,000. That wasn't the only one, though. The family who actually owned the home—the Colemans—were left homeless. They ended up living in their car for months because their house was a total loss and their dog had died in the fire too. In January 2026, the Coleman family finally received a settlement of $1 million to help them rebuild.
What went wrong?
An independent investigation by the New Mexico Attorney General’s office concluded that Brett’s death was "avoidable."
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That’s a stinging word. Avoidable.
The report suggested that the APD and BCSO had plenty of chances to use non-lethal tactics that wouldn't have burned the house down. Instead, the default to high-intensity force created a situation where an innocent bystander paid the ultimate price.
Chief Harold Medina admitted early on that the SWAT devices likely caused the fire. It was a rare admission of "we messed up," but for the Rosenau family, words didn't bring their son back. Interestingly, Brett’s father had also been killed by law enforcement years prior during a traffic stop. The cycle of trauma for that family is almost unimaginable.
Actionable insights: What you can do
If you're following cases of police reform or want to stay informed about local safety, here are a few ways to keep track of how these incidents change the law:
- Track Use-of-Force Legislation: Following this incident, there has been a massive push in New Mexico for stricter de-escalation requirements. Look up the "Civil Rights Act" in your own state to see what the rules are for SWAT deployments.
- Monitor Independent Oversight: In Albuquerque, the APD is under a Court-Approved Settlement Agreement (CASA) with the DOJ. You can read the independent monitor reports online to see if the department is actually meeting its "high standards."
- Support Local Legal Aid: Groups like the ACLU of New Mexico often lead the charge in these lawsuits. Following their updates is usually the best way to get the facts that don't make it into a 30-second news clip.
The story of the Albuquerque SWAT team 14 year old (Brett) serves as a grim reminder that when "tactical" maneuvers go wrong, the cost isn't just property—it's people.