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Brett David Rosenau: 15-year-old boy stuck in barricaded house with murder suspect DIES in police stand off

'In our effort to track down and arrest a violent criminal, a young person tragically lost his life,' said Albuquerque police chief Harold Medina

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO: A teen boy who was barricaded in a house with a murder suspect reportedly died of smoke inhalation when the home caught fire after police fired munitions into the building during an hour-long standoff. The Albuquerque Police revealed how the 15-year-old boy, Brett David Rosenau, had followed the 27-year-old suspect, Qiaunt Kelley, into a residence in the 8100 block of San Joaquin Avenue SE at about 10 pm on Wednesday, July 6, after authorities tried to apprehend Kelley on several outstanding warrants.

Kelley was reportedly wanted for violating his probation on carjacking and stolen car charges. He was also wanted for questioning in a June murder case and a separate shooting incident in the previous month in which someone had fired an automatic weapon targetting the police. Furthermore, Kelley is also a suspect for his alleged involvement in an armed robbery that is being investigated by local and federal authorities. 

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Police said it was unclear how Kelley knew Rosenau, but the two fled into the home when officers arrived at the New Mexico address. Detectives later found a gun in a car that Kelley had driven to the home, and the motorcycle he was working on outside the building was found to be stolen. The SWAT team reportedly tried to get them to come out using negotiators, drones, as well as a robot with "active powder irritants." Cops also used a public address system and placed a phone inside the residence so both Rosenau and Kelley could come out. However, neither responded to their efforts.

At one point, Kelley bizarrely opened the backdoor and lay on his back. However, he did not cooperate with the authorities. He eventually sat upright as police tried to use a "noise flash diversionary device" to compel him to come out. According to the Albuquerque Journal, the device was a "Flameless Tri-Chamber' tear gas canister. However, Kelley went back inside after it was detonated.

Police noticed fire coming out of the house at about 3 am on Thursday, July 7. Video footage captured by neighbors showed flames raging through the roof of the house. Firefighters were called to the scene to extinguish the blaze before Kelley emerged from the residence with burns. He was taken to a hospital and later arrested on the aforementioned outstanding warrants. The suspect refused to answer the detectives' questions, police said. Rosenau, on the other hand, was found dead inside the property. 

"In our effort to track down and arrest a violent criminal, a young person tragically lost his life," Albuquerque police chief Harold Medina said. "I know many people in our community are hurting right now, and appreciate everyone's patience while the incident is thoroughly investigated. If any of our actions inadvertently contributed to his death, we will take steps to ensure this never happens again. I've asked our Victim's Services Unit to work with the family and provide them with support during this painful time," he continued. Medina also said the department had been using the flash-bang munitions for years and they had never caused a fire. "We've heard that it is possible that these could start fires, but we've never experienced that here," the police chief explained.

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Rosenau's devastated family members expressed their shock at his involvement in the incident. A fundraising campaign has been set up on GoGetFunding to cover the teenager's funeral expenses. "Though all facts and circumstances have not come out, I do know that Brett was not involved in the SWAT situation where he succumbed to his injuries of severe burns and smoke inhalation. Brett was only 15 years old, and this was far from expected," his heartbroken mother wrote on the website. "I was not mentally, physically, emotionally, or financially prepared for the phone call I received this morning. As a mother you never imagine that you would be attending your child's funeral," she added.

Authorities said Rosenauyu's death is being probed by a multi-agency task force, and have promised to release bodycam, drone, and robot camera footage from the incident, the Daily Mail reported.