On Sunday, police officers in the Albuquerque area successfully captured 33-year-old Jaremy Smith of Marion, South Carolina. The law enforcement officers had received a tip from a vigilant gas station clerk. Smith was alleged to have fatally shot a New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare along Interstate 40, west of Tucumcari, on Friday.
He was also linked to the killing of Phonesia Machado-Fore, a South Carolina paramedic who was reported missing on Thursday. The stolen car connected to the shooting was tied to Smith, which further implicated him in the ongoing investigation.
Hare was shot around 5 a.m. on Friday while responding to a call for help from a disabled motorist on Interstate 40 near Tucumcari. According to officials, the incident occurred around 235 miles east of Albuquerque, close to the Texas border.
When he got to the scene and parked behind the disabled BMW, Smith approached him. “A short conversation ensued about repairing his tire and possibly getting a ride back to town when, without warning, the suspect pulled out a firearm and shot Officer Hare,” the police said during Saturday’s news conference.
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The suspect had become the focus of a massive manhunt. Smith’s arrest occurred within 24 hours after New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler declared, “Jaremy Smith, we are coming for you.”
Reports from the New Mexico State Police stated that Smith was arrested after an intense foot chase. The chase led to Smith sustaining gunshot wounds from at least one deputy, leading to his capture.
At a brief news conference, Sheriff John Allen confirmed that Smith was apprehended after the clerk alerted authorities of an individual matching Smith’s description. Murphy Express gas station clerk Samantha Reynolds told ABC News that she called 911 after checking Smith’s identification card when he bought a pack of cigarettes.
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She mentioned that Smith used his real ID during the transaction. Reynolds mentioned that she recognized Smith immediately from the wanted posters. She also confirmed her suspicions because of the uncommon spelling of “Jaremy” on his driver’s license.
“I was nervous. I was scared. I didn’t know if he was armed. When I carded him, I was like, ‘Is he going to shoot me,'” Reynolds said. “But I wanted to do what was right for the family of Officer Hare, for my community, and to back the blue.”
The collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies and the timely response to the gas station clerk’s tip played a huge role in Smith’s arrest.
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“Yesterday, we said we would bring Jaremy Smith to justice. There was nowhere that he could run, and there was nowhere he could hide,” Weisler said during a news conference. “Today, thanks to our community and our fellow law enforcement partners, we were able to do that.”
Allen stated that Smith was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was under guard and receiving medical treatment.
“When a law enforcement officer is killed anywhere in the state of New Mexico, we stand as a unified front,” Allen said, praising the work of federal, state, and local law enforcement “who worked as a team to make sure we took someone very dangerous to the public, all of our communities, into custody.”
As the investigation progresses, authorities will continue to piece together the events that led to the tragic shooting. They will also seek justice for Officer Hare and closure for his family and loved ones.
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