A "armed and dangerous" suspect was sought Friday after a New Mexico State police officer was fatally shot on a roadway near Tucumcari.
New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler said Officer Justin Hare, 35, was shot without warning at 5 a.m. while responding to a complaint about a car with a flat tire waving for help on Interstate 40.
Weisler said in a late Friday video that the suspect entered Hare's patrol vehicle from the passenger side.
"After discussing tire repair, Officer Hare volunteered to drive the suspect to town. Weisler claimed the suspect shot Officer Hare without warning.
Weisler said the gunman put Hare into the passenger seat and drove off in the patrol vehicle, which was later abandoned.
Officials posted images of the culprit, last seen walking on the I-40 Frontage Road at milepost 304 between Montoya and Newkirk, and advised people to phone 911 instead of approaching him.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office said officers from around the region lined roads as Hare's body was transferred to the University of New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator for examination.Call state police with suspect information or background.
"We are bringing every resource to bear to bring Officer Hare's killer to justice, and we will not rest until that is done," stated.Weisler said Hare graduated from the state police recruit training in 2018 and grew up in Logan and Moriarty, New Mexico.His parents, girlfriend, and two young children survive him.Texas' Tucumcari lies 115 miles west of Amarillo.
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