A suspect in the shooting death of a state police officer has been apprehended following a dramatic confrontation with law enforcement officers in the Albuquerque area. The New Mexico State Police confirmed that the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office successfully captured the suspect, identified as a 33-year-old man from Marion, South Carolina, named Jaremy Smith. The arrest took place after a pursuit involving gunfire on Sunday, as detailed in a news release by State Police spokesman Ray Wilson.
The tragic incident that led to the pursuit occurred on Friday when State Police Officer Justin Hare was fatally shot along I-40 west of Tucumcari. Officer Hare had been dispatched to assist a motorist in a white BMW with a flat tire on Interstate 40. Upon parking behind the BMW, a man exited the vehicle, approached the patrol car, and shot Officer Hare without warning. The assailant then proceeded to shoot Hare again, move him to the back seat of the patrol vehicle, and flee the scene in the stolen police vehicle.
Further investigation revealed that the white BMW in question had been reported missing in South Carolina and was linked to a woman named Phonesia Machado-Fore, who had tragically lost her life in the same state. The suspect, Jaremy Smith, was identified as the individual connected to the stolen vehicle and the violent events that transpired.
As the legal proceedings unfold, it remains unclear whether Smith has legal representation, as attempts to reach the public defenders’ office for comment were unsuccessful. The capture of the suspect brings a sense of closure to the harrowing ordeal that began with the senseless shooting of Officer Hare and culminated in a high-stakes pursuit that spanned multiple jurisdictions.
