Taylor Hagan Obituary – The Albuquerque Police Department identified 32-year-old APD Academy cadet, Taylor Hagan, as a victim of a domestic violence murder-suicide case. “Domestic violence can become lethal. In one second, it can become an argument to murder right away. People are isolated from their offenders. They are going to have to spend more time with them,” ” Director of Domestic Violence Resource Center Maria Cahuenas told KOAT. “People gathering together, some frustrations coming, some arguments escalating.”
According to APD, homicide detectives stated Hagan was shot and killed by her husband, Briton Hagan, 41, at the Olympus Encantada apartment complex in northeast Albuquerque on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. “Taylor was working hard to meet the challenges of becoming an APD officer,” Chief Medina wrote in an updated news release on Wednesday. “She chose to serve the community as a police officer and keep the community safe. My sincere condolences go out to her family and loved ones on behalf of the entire APD family.”
According to APD, Hagan’s body was escorted by APD’s Honor Guard as she was transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of police cadet Taylor Hagan and are keeping her loved ones and fellow cadets in our prayers,” Mayor Tim Keller wrote in a news release. “Domestic violence affects people from all walks of life and incidents can unfortunately increase during the holidays, so I urge everyone in our community to be on the look-out for warning signs of abuse.”
In relation to Hagan’s death, APD stated domestic violence tends to increase during the holidays.
“During the holidays, they increase in numbers. We have advocates working during the holidays, that can respond to the scene of domestic violence and begin to provide services to the victim right away,” Cahuenas said. “We understand how difficult it is to talk about it, to even process it. We will meet the victims where they are. They don’t need to disclose anything that’s happening. They can contact us to see what’s available in the community.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with domestic violence, help is available by calling 1-800-799-7233. A list of resources and organizations can also be found here.