Man who allegedly killed Alamogordo police officer has history of firearms possession, fleeing

On Saturday, July 15, 26-year-old Dominic De La O from Hatch, New Mexico, allegedly shot Alamogordo Police Department Officer Anthony Ferguson in what police said was an attempt to flee from police officers.

De La O fired a shotgun wounding Ferguson in the face, according to a criminal complaint against him, an injury that would result in Ferguson's death July 16 at 10:51 p.m. at University Medical Center El Paso.

The encounter with law enforcement was not the first time De La O had fled from police officers or been suspected of being in possession of a firearm.

More: Slain Alamogordo Police officer Anthony Ferguson killed with shotgun

De La O first runs from APD in January 2022

On Jan. 24, 2022, police alleged in an affidavit that De La O fled from APD in a black SUV following an attempted traffic stop. APD said in court documents that De La O had a suspended driver's license at the time.

APD chased De La O through Highway 54/70 before he drove onto First Street, where APD documents said he was going up to 35 miles per hour.

At the intersection of First Street and White Sands, De La O was reported to have stopped at a red traffic light for only a moment before continuing to flee. The arresting officer then witnessed De La O turn left on First Street and Florida Avenue, where he then turned east on Ninth Street. The arresting officer lost sight of De La O after he abandoned the SUV in an attempt to run on foot, according to the incident report.

De La O was seen by a New Mexico resident, incident reports indicated, when he ditched the SUV who said he jumped into her backyard to escape the police.

An APD detective found the ditched SUV in an alleyway at 1400 Hendrix City in Alamogordo. APD continued the search and later found De La O at 18th Street and Park Crescent City, where they arrested him. He was charged with aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer, a fourth-degree felony. He was also charged with petty misdemeanors, driving while under the influence of drugs (DWI), driving while license suspended and disorderly conduct.

According to court documents, De La O admitted to the arresting officer that he was on the substance Clonazepam and knew he was not supposed to be behind the wheel under the influence.

Clonazepam is a sedative that treats seizures, panic disorders, and anxiety. It can also impair your memory and coordination but "works by decreasing abnormal electrical activity in the brain," according to medlineplus.gov.

Court documents do not list the arresting officer on duty at the time of De La O's arrest in 2022. This case is still pending resolution at the time this article was published.

De La O has another encounter with APD in January 2023 that ended in a shooting

More: NMSP: Alamogordo man shot after pursuit by police

According to court documents, on Jan. 29, 2023 De La O had again fled from APD.

When New Mexico State Police Officer Eric Marrujo arrived at the A'RM Car wash on 10th Street, in Alamogordo, New Mexico, he spoke to Alamogordo Police Lieutenant Chris Hughes about what happened.

Marrujo said in court documents that he learned Dominic De la O was in the area of 1003 Ridgecrest from Hughes.

The 12th Judicial District Attorney's Office Major Crimes Unit had alerted residents in the area at an earlier time and advised them to call if De La O was seen in the area.

When Rincon arrived at the location and found De La O, a foot chase began leading to the A'RM Car wash on 10th street. APD Officer Robert Brown arrived on the scene shortly after and a "scuffle" broke out between all three men while both APD officers attempted to arrest De La O.

Court documents said during the fight, De La O pulled a gun out and APD Officer Robert Brown then pulled his weapon, firing and injuring De La O in the leg.

After De La O was arrested, the 12th Judicial District Court conducted a search at A'RM car wash, where a pair of De La O's jeans were left behind. Marrujo said he then searched the pockets and found a bag with a "crystalline substance."

"I later examined the evidence bag containing this substance and based on my training and experience, the substance appears to be consistent with methamphetamine," Marrujo said in court documents.

After his January 2023 encounter court documents show De La O was charged with possession of a controlled substance, two counts of negligent use of a deadly weapon and two counts of resisting, evading or obstructing an officer.

On Feb. 10, 2023, Marrujo conducted a test on the substance found in De La O's jeans "using a Lynn Peavey brand quick check methamphetamine tester." Marrujo said the substance tested positive for methamphetamines.

The amended criminal complaint read that Marrujo reviewed surveillance footage from the A'RM Car Wash. Marrujo said in the footage De La O can be seen running with a gun before he runs in front of Brown's police vehicle and falls to the ground, aiming a gun at his head and allegedly told officers he was going to shoot himself.

Brown attempted to fire his taser at De La O but was unsuccessful, according to the incident report. Brown and Rincon then struggled to disarm De La O.

The attorney for both De La O's 2022 DWI and his 2023 drug possession case was listed as James Russell Walker Jr., from the New Mexico Public Defenders Office. Walker said as of now no attorney was appointed to defend De La O in the death of Ferugson.

A judge granted a motion to consolidate De La O's prior cases ― a process which happens when two cases are similar and combined together in order to save time resources and expenses for all parties involved. The new case is scheduled for a jury trial Thursday, July 20.

This is subject to change following the death of APD Officer Anthony Ferguson and a gunshot wound to De La O. If he claims he is still injured, or court says he is unable to appear due to the ongoing investigation the date will be postponed for a later time. Otero County court officials said as of Tuesday no plans were made to change the date of that hearing.

Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on twitter at @Juan36Corr.

This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Man who allegedly killed Alamogordo police officer has history of evading officers