New Mexico police officer who was shot in the face dies
The suspect used a sawed-off shotgun to shoot the NM officer during a foot chase
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An Alamogordo police officer who was shot in the face with a sawed-off shotgun during a foot chase with a suspect has died, authorities said Monday.
Forty-one-year-old Anthony Ferguson, an 11-year veteran of the Alamogordo Police Department, was airlifted to a trauma center, where he had been listed in critical condition after the shooting early Saturday, according to police. He died late Sunday.
Police said 26-year-old Dominic De La O, of Alamogordo, was charged with attempt to commit first-degree murder and aggravated battery on a police officer with a deadly weapon. He is being held at the Otero County jail.
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De La O will likely face upgraded charges now that Ferguson has died.
District Attorney Scot Key said that because the defendant was arrested on a no bond warrant in another pending felony drug case, he cannot get out of jail.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The state will be presenting the case to the Otero County grand jury as early as next week. It is anticipated that the charges will include first-degree murder," Key said.
Anthony Ferguson, an 11-year veteran of the Alamogordo Police Department, died late Sunday after he was shot in the face by a suspect in New Mexico.
In January, De La O was arrested on suspicion of pulling out a handgun during a fight with officers, court records show. He was shot by Alamogordo police during the incident.
A warrant for De La O’s arrest was issued last Wednesday because authorities said he violated his conditions of release by being at a party where a shooting occurred.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}De La O will be represented by Raymond Conley with the public defender's office. He could not immediately be reached for a comment.
On Saturday, officers tried to pull over the vehicle De La O was driving without headlights or taillights, police said. De La O fled, crashed into a light pole, and then ran from the scene before the shooting, according to authorities.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}De La O suffered a leg wound and was arrested after being treated and released from a hospital, police said.
Alamogordo Mayor Susan Payne has called on the city’s 31,000 residents to contact state lawmakers and the governor’s office to ask them to revisit New Mexico’s bail reform laws.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican members of the New Mexico Senate also said Monday that more needs to be done to address gaps in the criminal justice system.
"Not one more New Mexican should become the victim of a preventable violent crime," Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
Alamogordo residents planned to gather along city streets Monday evening for a procession during which the officer's body would be brought home. The procession was due to stop in front of police headquarters to honor Ferguson's service to the community.