New Mexico State Police honor Pee Dee paramedic with presence at her funeral
MARION COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Members of the New Mexico State Police on Saturday were among those who attended a funeral for Phonesia Machado-Fore, a Pee Dee paramedic who was fatally shot earlier this month.
Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace said on the department’s Facebook page that Fore’s family was presented with a New Mexico state flag and a photograph of Ofc. Justin Hare.
Hare was killed March 15 along Interstate 40 while responding to reports of a disabled vehicle. That car’s driver, 32-year-old Jaremy Smith of Marion, ambushed Hare and shot him twice on the side of the road.
Timeline: What’s happened so far in the case of slain Pee Dee paramedic Phonesia Machado-Fore
At the time, Smith was driving a white BMW registered to Machado-Fore, and remains a person of interest in her death. Machado-Fore’s body was discovered last Friday in a remote area of Dillon County.
Fore, 52, was laid to rest on Saturday.
“We are overwhelmed by the sacrifices made for these wonderful officers to be with us today. Our hearts are with them in the days ahead as they prepare to lay their fellow officer to rest,” Wallace said on the department’s Facebook page.
Wallace told News13 last week that representatives from his office plan to attend Fore’s funeral, slated for 1 p.m. on March 27 in Albuquerque.
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors on Friday said they’re considering the death penalty for Smith.
Wallace and Dillon County Sheriff Jamie Hamilton said their departments are working jointly to investigate what happened to Machado-Fore.
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
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