Senseless

NM Cop Fatally Shot During Traffic Stop

Leaves behind a wife and two kids.

A police officer in Hatch, New Mexico, was fatally shot during a routine traffic stop on Friday, and three suspects have been taken into custody. The Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Department released a statement saying, “Another Hatch officer had just arrived at the traffic stop to assist the first officer when a passenger from the vehicle exited and fired shots.” The suspects immediately fled, prompting a high-speed car chase as the assisting officer went after them. They then stopped at a rest stop along the highway, where they shot the owner of another vehicle and set off in the stolen car. The vehicle owner was rushed to a hospital. Police finally used a tire-deflating device to stop the fleeing suspects. Officer Jose Chavez, 33, died of his injuries in the hospital. He was a two-year veteran and leaves behind a wife and two kids.