NEW MEXICO, USA — The New Mexico governor has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff from Feb. 5-9.
This is in mourning of a member of the New Mexico State Police who was killed in the line of duty on Interstate 10 on February 4.
Officer Darian Jarrott was assisting Homeland Security Investigation when he was shot and killed.
Omar Felix Cueva, 39, fled from police but was fired upon by officers from multiple New Mexico law enforcement agencies and died from his injuries.
Jarrott served as a law enforcement officer since December of 2014, and was sworn in to the NMSP in July 2015.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued the following statement:
I am shocked, heartbroken and enraged by the loss of this public servant. I am praying for the local officer who was also shot and injured. We are still learning more about what happened and why, as law enforcement authorities continue to investigate, and we will all get the facts about what happened today. But what we know right now is a New Mexico law enforcement officer has been killed in the line of duty and I am horrified as we grieve another life cut down, another family crushed by senseless violence in our state. Violent crime is a scourge on New Mexico, and the men and women who step up and put on the badge to protect our communities fight it with everything they’ve got every day. We are and must remain grateful for their heroic service every single day – and moments like this remind us why. The New Mexico State Police put their lives on the line to help keep us safe. I join all New Mexico and the New Mexico State Police community in grieving this senseless, heinous loss.