The man wanted for the Friday murder of New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare was captured in Albuquerque Sunday morning.
Suspect in Killing of New Mexico Officer Arrested
Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said in a news conference Sunday that the deputies established a perimeter and observed Smith until he spotted them and tried to escape.
March 18, 2024
Police say Jeremy Smith killed New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare Friday morning near Tucumcari. He was taken into cutody Sunday in Albuquerque by Bernalillo County Sheriff's deputies.
Credit:
New Mexico State Police
2 min to read
Jeremy Smith, 33, of Marion, South Carolina, was wounded in a shooting involving Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputies and taken into custody.
Sheriff John Allen said deputies were dispatched after a clerk spotted Smith in an Albuquerque gas station.
The suspect had left the gas station before deputies arrived, but they were able to spot him walking nearby.
Sheriff Allen said in a news conference Sunday that the deputies established a perimeter and observed Smith until he spotted them and tried to escape.
A foot pursuit ensued and shots were fired, Allen said. Smith was hit and taken into custody without further incident.
Charges have not yet been filed.
State Police say Smith killed Officer Hare and stole his patrol vehicle when the officer stopped to help him deal with a flat tire near Tucumcari.
Smith is also a person of interest in a murder investigation in Marion County, South Carolina. Authorities believe he fled to New Mexico because he had contacts in Albuquerque.
The area where Officer Hare was killed is approximately 175 miles from Albuquerque and the state police believes he may have had help in evading the manhunt and traveling to where he was captured.
State Police Chief Troy Weisler said, “We are looking for anyone who may have assisted him.”
Smith has an “extensive criminal history in South Carolina,” New Mexico State Police said in a statement.
That history includes armed robbery, taking hostages and rioting in jail, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, and other charges.
He is wanted by the Marion County (South Carolina) Sheriff’s Office in connection with the death of paramedic Phenesia Machado-Fore, 52. She was reported missing Thursday and was found dead in Dillon County, South Carolina, on Friday. WCBD in Charleston reports Machado-Fore was last seen in Marion, South Carolina on Tuesday.
Smith was reportedly driving her white BMW when Offficer Hare stopped to help him Friday.
In a statement, Marion County Sheriff Brian Wallace says Smith will remain in the custody of New Mexico State Police to face charges in Officer Hare's death.
"I believe that I speak for many here in Marion County when I tell you that I am overwhelmed with relief knowing that Jaremy Smith is in custody," Sheriff Wallace said. "Our hearts are not only heavy for our own loss here in the Pee Dee region but for the loss of New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare."
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