New Mexico police officer dies following traffic stop shooting
Representative image (AP)
ALBUQUERQUE: A police officer from northwestern New Mexico has died, several days after being critically injured when a man opened fire during a traffic stop.
Law enforcement agencies gathered Sunday to escort the body of Bloomfield police officer Timothy Ontiveros from an Albuquerque hospital, where he had undergone multiple surgeries over recent days.
Ontiveros had pulled over a man for a traffic violation on Memorial Day. Authorities said the man refused to roll down his window or provide identification. After negotiations failed, officers opted to arrest him and broke a window to take him into custody.
The man subsequently began shooting, hitting Ontiveros and narrowly missing a second officer at the scene. That officer returned fire, striking and killing the suspect.
Authorities said the man had a record that included previous arrests for assault, trespassing, resisting an officer, and threatening hospital staff.
Ontiveros, 33, previously worked for the Farmington Police Department and was a volunteer firefighter for the neighboring community of Aztec. A GoFundMe page was set up to help his family.
"In his short time with the agency, he demonstrated kindness, professionalism, and dedication to the safety of the community he served," Bloomfield Police Chief Phillip Francisco said Sunday in a social media post.
Ontiveros had joined Bloomfield police in December. Francisco asked for the community's support as the department navigated what he called a tremendous loss.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also mourned the loss of the officer.
"His death is a heartbreaking reminder of the dangers our law enforcement officers face every single day," she said in a statement Sunday.
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