State Police said Officer Darian Jarrott was killed on Interstate 10, near the town of Akela in Luna County, about 70 miles northwest of El Paso, Texas.
Jarrott, 28, started a traffic stop in a white truck while “helping with Homeland Security Investigations”, according to NMSP chief Robert Thornton, at a news conference on Thursday.
The truck driver, identified by the police as Omar Felix Cueva, 39, shot and killed Jarrott before heading east on the interstate towards Las Cruces.
Police in several departments pursued it, Thornton said, including officials from the NMSP, the US Border Patrol, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and the Las Cruces Police Department.
When Cueva entered Las Cruces, the police placed spike strips to damage the truck’s tires. According to Thornton, a Las Cruces officer also performed a chase intervention technique to force the truck to the side.
Shooting with captured video
Las Cruces police spokesman Dan Trujillo confirmed the authenticity of the amateur video posted online by Austin Contreras, who was working on a construction site about 40 miles from the Jarrott shooting.
The video showed a Las Cruces police car pushing the truck off the road. After the truck stops, Cueva is seen exiting the vehicle and pointing a firearm at the police amid sounds of gunfire. A policeman is seen crouched behind the police vehicle closest to the truck.
The shooting continues until the police approach the truck while Cueva appears motionless beside the vehicle.
State Police confirmed that Cueva was shot at least once and died on the spot.
A Las Cruces police officer was injured in the shooting, but police said the police officer was treated at a local hospital and released.
Jarrott began his career as a transportation inspector in the New Mexico Department of Public Security. He was sworn in as an NMSP officer in July 2015.
Jarrott is leaving three small children, with a fourth expected this year, according to NMSP chief Thornton.
“We are here to honor Officer Darian Jarrett, for his sacrifice and for what he did for this community and for this state,” said Thornton, sharing that one of Jarrott’s captains described the officer as the “coolest guy he has ever met. , who always had a smile on his face. ”
Christina Zdanowicz of CNN contributed to this report.