‘We need more love’
They turned out in the hundreds — maybe even more than 1,000 — to say farewell to a man viewed as a warrior and hero.
Justin Hare, 35, was praised during a funeral service at the Legacy Church as a dedicated public servant who was loved by family members, friends and his comrades.
Hare died March 15 “helping and protecting others, protecting New Mexicans,” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, one of an array of speakers at the funeral.
Prosecutors have accused Jaremy Alexander Smith, 33, of Marion, S.C., of shooting and killing Hare when Hare stopped on Interstate 40 and offered to help Smith with a flat tire.
Smith, who remains behind bars and is also a person of interest in the killing of a paramedic in South Carolina, faces federal charges of carjacking resulting in death and shooting a firearm. He may face life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted, according to federal prosecutors.
Those who worked with Hare said he was a bit of a rebel, a loving dad and friend and a man they could always count on to get the job done, even on his days off. He was called a warrior, a hero and, affectionately, a “road dog” by his fellow officers, many of whom choked up as they tried to find words to talk about someone they served with and respected and loved.
They were not the only ones shedding tears.
As a procession of bagpipe players opened the service with a mournful tune, many of the attendees reached for tissue boxes placed at the end of the rows in the massive sanctuary.
The two-hour plus memorial service went beyond the surface as it portrayed Hare as a devoted steward who could be called upon to provide his own tools in the middle of the night to fix a stranded motorist’s car in the Tucumcari area where he was stationed.
Video snippets of both Hare’s professional and personal life
spotlighted a playful dad, adventurous spirit and always-smiling guy whose on-screen presence radiated life.
His parents — Jim and Terry Hare — and his brother, Brandon Hare, provided personal and sometimes amusing anecdotes about his high-spirited love of life. Whether it was embarrassing his parents by announcing something personal about their sex lives to astounded diners at a busy restaurant or trying out all the toys and gadgets he and his brother bought for their kids before turning them over to the children, Justin Hare came off as a big kid at heart.
As well as a fearless officer who would not back down from a fight or decline to help someone who needed help.
“He would never refuse to lend a helping hand to other officers,” said New Mexico State Police Officer David Garcia, who said he worked with Hare for the past year and a half.
He called Hare “human 100% of the time.”
There were moments of levity in the often-solemn goodbye ceremony. One officer spoke of Hare’s penchant for practical jokes — using rocks to clog up an axle on a van to stop it from moving; putting a dead antelope in the back set of a police vehicle “like a prisoner,” and so on.
And there was much laughter when Jim Hare said Justin was quite adept at delegating things he did not want to do.
“We always thought he would be a politician,” he said.
But it must have been difficult even for those who did not know Hare personally to hold back the tears at times, as when Hare’s father said Hare liked to end conversations with, “I love you.”
“I urge you to do that with your loved ones,” Jim Hare told the assembly. “We need more love in this world.”
Watching Hare, on video, push a plastic wheeled vehicle with one of his two daughters in it around the house also likely evoked teary emotions — especially with the knowledge his partner, Daizzare Quintana, is expecting their third child later this year.
State Police Chief Troy Weisler said during the funeral service Hare’s last words were “an offer to help a man who was about to kill him.”
Weisler alleged Smith was a “coldblooded killer” and said “for those who believe there is no evil in the world, unfortunately we have video to prove there is.”
Jason Bowie, secretary of the state Department of Public Safety, said Hare’s loss has been “felt throughout the entire nation.”
He said law enforcement representatives from every state in the country were in attendance at Wednesday’s funeral. Officers clad in uniforms identifying them as being from other states — including Colorado, Arizona and New York — could be seen in the assembly.
The event also included a 21-gun salute, the playing of taps and an aerial
flyover of the church.
The Rev. Curtis Miller, of the East Mountain Cowboy Church where Jim and Terry Hare attend, said Justin Hare once told him if he was going to die, he wanted to die as a hero.
Miller said Hare was a hero to him. “Keep the streets of heaven safe,” Miller said. “I’ll see you when I get there.”