Saturday, April 27, 2024
Fair, 56°Wind: 16.1 mph, W
Welcome to our new web site!
To give our readers a chance to experience all that our new website has to offer, we have made all content freely avaiable, through October 1, 2018.
During this time, print and digital subscribers will not need to log in to view our stories or e-editions.
A decision to revoke the police credentials of two Las Cruces officers charged with murder was tabled during a meeting of the state’s top policing board last week.
The New Mexico Law Enforcement Certification Board reviewed proposed suspensions for Brad Lundsford and Felipe Hernandez during a meeting in Las Cruces on March 21.
The over-two-hour discussion about Lundsford and Hernandez occurred in a closed session. That’s typical since New Mexico state law allows personnel matters to remain behind closed doors.
When the board returned to open session, they announced they’d tabled the decision on Lundsford and Hernandez. One of the board members said the tabling was at the request of Lundsford and Hernandez’ attorneys, who said they could not attend the meeting.
The decision will be heard again at a meeting in June. That meeting will occur in Farmington. Lundsford and Hernandez face criminal charges for killing two people while policing Las Cruces in recent years.
Lundsford, 38, stands charged with voluntary manslaughter. He killed Presley Eze, a 36-year-old man, during a shoplifting call at the Chevron on Valley Drive near University Avenue. According to a criminal complaint, Eze and a store clerk got into a spat, leading to police arriving at the scene. Lundsford and Eze came into conflict before Lundsford shot Eze in the back of the head.
The shooting occurred in August of 2022. The state Department of Justice, formerly called the attorney general’s office, formally charged Lundsford in 2023. Lundsford has pleaded not guilty and is set for a 10-day trial in February 2025.
Lunsford could face between three to six years if convicted.
Hernandez faces a charge of second-degree murder. He killed Teresa Gomez in October of 2023. Body camera footage released by the police department during a news conference showed Hernandez gunning down Gomez as she drove away from him. Hernandez had just finished a profanity-laden encounter when Gomez, apparently fed up with the treatment, drove away from Hernandez.
A criminal complaint found that Hernandez was not in any danger of being hit by Gomez’s car when he decided to shoot her.
A trial has yet to be scheduled for this case.
