Police say Las Cruces pickup driver wasn’t paying attention when he slammed into rear of semi, causing deadly wreck
UPDATE, May 10: Investigators on Monday blamed driver inattention for a deadly crash last Friday where a pickup truck slammed into the rear of a semi-truck along westbound US 70 just outside the Las Cruces city limits.
The Office of the Medical Investigator said the pickup driver, identified as 66-year-old Donald Haynie of Las Cruces, died upon impact.
Authorities said they don t believe Haynie was paying attention when drove his pickup into the back end of the semi, which was stopped for a red light at the intersection of US 70 and Picacho Hills Road.
New Mexico State Police officer shot, killed during traffic stop on I-10 near Deming Jamel Valencia | Staff UP NEXT
A New Mexico State Police officer was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Interstate-10 near Deming on Thursday.
A New Mexico State Police officer stationed in Deming, New Mexico was assisting Homeland Security Investigations.
The officer identified as 28-year-old Darian Jarrott initiated a traffic stop on a white Chevrolet pickup truck on I-10 eastbound, near mile marker 101 east of Deming, New Mexico.
During the traffic stop, the driver identified as 39-year-old Omar Felix Cueva fired at least one shot at officer Jarrott.
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State Police officers after escorting their fallen colleague to a funeral home on Thursday evening. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal)
New Mexico State Police officer Darian Jarrott (NMSP)
DEMING A New Mexico State Police officer was shot and killed on a stretch of highway east of Deming during a traffic stop on Thursday, setting off a mileslong chase that ended in a shootout between officers and the suspect.
The officer killed, 28-year-old Darian Jarrott, was a father of three, with a fourth child on the way. The man who shot him, 39-year-old Omar Felix Cueva, was killed by authorities during a gun battle in Las Cruces that left a Las Cruces police officer injured, authorities said.