State Police officer killed near Deming
Suspect dies in shootout; Las Cruces officer injured
DEMING — A New Mexico State Police officer was shot and killed on a stretch of highway east of Deming during a traffic stop on Thursday, setting off a mileslong chase that ended in a shootout between officers and the suspect.
The officer killed, 28-year-old Darian Jarrott, was a father of three, with a fourth child on the way. The man who shot him, 39-year-old Omar Felix Cueva, was killed by authorities during a gun battle in Las Cruces that left a Las Cruces police officer injured, authorities said.
On Thursday evening, the sky took on the crimson hue of sunset as dozens of State Police vehicles made their way through the heart of Deming — a sea of lights and sirens surrounding a white hearse.
The procession ended at a local funeral home, its flag at half staff, where dozens of officers escorted the casket of their fallen comrade inside.
In the street, many officers hugged, some with tears in their eyes, as locals stood on the corner and took in the solemn atmosphere.
“Officer Darian Jarrott went out there today and was serving his state, his community, the best way he knew how, and I love him for that,” State Police Chief Robert Thornton said, holding back tears, during a press conference in Deming late Thursday. “These officers lay their lives on the line every day for each and every one of us; as a chief, it breaks my heart that I have to be standing in front of you this evening, talking about this incident and what’s going on.”
Thornton said Jarrott, a-five-year veteran of the agency who was based in Deming, was assisting Homeland Security Investigations
when he pulled over Cueva, who was on his way to do a drug deal, on Interstate 10. On Wednesday, Deming police shot and killed a man during an HSI investigation, but it’s unclear whether the two incidents or investigations were related.
Thornton said Cueva fired at least one shot during the traffic stop and struck Jarrott, killing him. He said an HSI agent got to the scene and notified dispatch that an officer was down.
Thornton said State Police caught up to Cueva as he headed east on I-10, and Cueva pulled over and fired at officers, who returned fire. He said a pursuit was initiated and officers were able to flatten Cueva’s tires with spike strips near Las Cruces, but he continued to flee.
By that time, Thornton said, Las Cruces police, Doña Ana County deputies and Border Patrol joined in the pursuit and a Las Cruces police officer used a PIT maneuver to stop Cueva. He said Cueva got out of the truck, and fired multiple times at officers and deputies before authorities fired back, striking Cueva at least once. Cueva died at the scene.
Thornton said one Las Cruces police officer was struck by gunfire and was airlifted to an El Paso Hospital, where he was treated and released.
A video posted on Instagram shows the final gunfight.
The shaky video starts as a Las Cruces Police Department cruiser plows into a white pickup truck — pushing it down the interstate.
As the vehicles are coming to a stop, the video shows a figure get out of the truck’s driver’s side door, walk around the back and open fire on the police officer in the cruiser.
The officer falls to the ground, then appears to get up and fire back until the suspect falls. Officers from other agencies swarm in.
‘Shocked, heartbroken’
It’s been 30 years since the last time a State Police officer was fatally shot in the line of duty.
On Jan. 26, 1991, officer Glen Huber — along with a Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s deputy and five civilians — was shot and killed while serving a restraining order, according to a website that memorializes officers who died in the line of duty.
According to the website, a total of six State Police offices have been shot and killed since 1937.
On Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered all flags to fly at halfstaff in New Mexico Friday through Tuesday in mourning of Jarrott.
“I am shocked, heartbroken and enraged by the loss of this public servant,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “I am praying for the local officer who was also shot and injured.”
She said she is horrified “as we grieve another life cut down, another family crushed by senseless violence in our state.”
U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M., who represents the southern part of the state, also sent her condolences.
“The death of any law enforcement officer in the line of duty is a reminder of the debt we owe the brave men and women who stand in the gap to protect us from evil,” Herrell wrote in a statement.
A state legislator who represents Luna, Hidalgo and Grant counties paid tribute to Jarrott on Twitter.
“There are no words for how heartbreaking it is to lose an officer in the line of duty — especially an officer from such a close community as Lordsburg,” Rep. Candie Sweetser, D-Deming, wrote in a post. “My prayers and love are with the family and friends of NMSP Officer Darian Jarrott as we mourn this tragic loss.”
‘Anger and hurt’
On Thursday night, Jarrott was taken from a funeral home in Deming to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque.
Teresa Escarsiga watched from the sidewalk, with tears in her eyes, as a handful of State Police on motorcycles escorted a van carrying the fallen officer down the street.
Across the street, the Deming firehouse rolled fire engines from the garages, their lights on, and affixed an American flag to the ladder of a fire truck — hanging it over the street.
“It’s just been a very emotional, hard day with what’s going on,” she said, choking up. “We’ve had tragedies … but two days in a row.”
The 52-year-old Deming native said a fatal police shooting on Wednesday had already shaken the small town. And, now, the death of a State Police officer.
“It takes an emotional toll,” Escarsiga said, the flashing red and blues from the officer’s procession reflected in her eyes.
She questioned what the shooter was thinking, having seen video of the Las Cruces shootout on social media.
“The wounds are raw, the wounds are there. There’s anger and hurt,” she said. “Honestly, it’s like ‘what’s going on? Lord, what do you want from us? — where is the goodness, where is the kindness?”
Escarsiga said the fallen officer, who’s reportedly from neighboring Lordsburg, no doubt had ties to Deming. She scrolled her Facebook feed, seeing posts by mutual friends with pictures of the fallen officer smiling with his friends, family.
“The poor family, what they’re going through. Got to say a little extra prayer tonight, hope to God this never happens again,” Escarsiga said.
As the firemen backed the trucks in and ceremoniously folded up the American flag from the ladder, Escarsiga thought of better days.
“It’s a good little town, it’s just sad this had to happen,” she said.