Sheriff details third fatal deputy shooting this summer
LAS CRUCES - For the third time this summer, the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office hosted a news conference Monday to provide details about a fatal deputy shooting.
Sheriff Kim Stewart said three deputies were on leave after fatally shooting 28-year-old Richard Guerra on July 15. Stewart said the shooting occurred in Texas, but the incident crisscrossed the New Mexico-Texas state line as it unfolded.
"We're meeting like this too often for my tastes," Stewart told the press gaggle at the onset of the news conference.
The fatal shooting on Friday evening marks the third in three months. The first occurred on May 21. It ended when deputies shot and killed Carlos Gamboa, 57, during a brief standoff. The second occurred on July 5. In that incident, 63-year-old Bryan Humble died after a dispute between neighbors. At the time, Stewart stopped short of confirming that deputies shot Humble. Instead, she left open the possibility that Humble shot himself, although she provided no evidence to support that.
Both incidents remain under investigation. Like the previous two, Stewart said the most recent shooting began with deputies being fired upon.
Stewart said the incident began when a deputy spotted Guerra driving a vehicle sought by El Paso police. On a dash camera video Stewart showed, the deputy can be seen spotting the gold van, attempting to pull the van over, then chasing the van near Gadsden High School on New Mexico Highway 225. Police in El Paso believed the van's driver was responsible for a hit-and-run crash on Transmountain road in El Paso.
After a ten-minute pursuit through rural roads surrounded by pecan groves, the video shows Guerra firing at the deputy on New Mexico Highway 405. A short time later, more deputies catch up to Guerra on West Ohara Road. Stewart said the deputies fired at Guerra at least twice. Guerra then merged onto Interstate 10 and headed towards El Paso. He then exited the freeway in Vinton, Texas. There, three deputies confronted Guerra. Stewart did not provide details about the shootout. However, it ended with Guerra's death.
When asked by the Sun-News, Stewart said that DASO would not be opening any review into deputy shootings beyond the standard procedure.
"Well, it's a nationwide pattern that we are confronting, violent individuals," Stewart said. "We're not immune to it. And of the incidents I'm aware of right now, we've been fired upon first."
The Doña Ana County Officer-Involved Task Force will investigate the incident. The task force is made up of several local agencies. Stewart said that the Texas Rangers would also investigate the incident.
Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com.
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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Sheriff details third fatal deputy shooting this summer
