By Dennis Romero and Doha Madani —
NBC News
A suspect is in custody in Albuquerque following a two-day manhunt in the case of a New Mexico State Police officer who was shot and killed on a highway near the small town of Tucumcari last week.
Jaremy Smith was captured this Sunday after an exchange of gunfire involving a Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office deputy, New Mexico State Police said in a brief statement posted on social media.
Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said his deputies responded to a call from a store clerk at a gas station around 7:00 a.m. local time.
Jaremy Smith.New Mexico State Police
Officers set up a perimeter in a nearby neighborhood after they saw Smith walking and a foot chase ensued, Allen told reporters Sunday.
“There were shots fired, some hitting Smith,” Allen said.
“We don't know the number at this time or how many, that is still under investigation.
But then Smith was taken into custody without further incident.”
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Smith is in a hospital receiving treatment for his injuries under police surveillance, according to Allen.
No additional details were provided, as both county and state authorities said the case is under investigation.
On Friday, Officer Justin Hare, 35, was shot around 5:00 a.m. (local time) when he responded to a call of a driver with a flat tire on Interstate 40 near mile marker 318, he had reported. the state police.
He was shot without warning and died after being taken to a local hospital.
Authorities identified Smith, a 33-year-old man from South Carolina, as the suspect in the case.
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New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler said Smith approached the passenger side of Hare's patrol car and, after a brief conversation in which Hare offered him a ride into town, Smith allegedly opened fire without warning. warning.
Smith then allegedly walked to the driver's side, shot the officer again, pushed him into the passenger side, got into the patrol car and drove away, the chief said.
Hare was not responding to radio calls and it appears he may have pressed a panic button common on police radios, alerting his colleagues to his situation, Weisler said.
John Allen, sheriff of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, reported the capture of the suspect in killing a state police officer.
New Mexico State Police
An officer who came to his aid saw Hare's patrol car traveling in the opposite direction and tried to catch up, but when he reached the vehicle, it had crashed on an interstate highway and was abandoned, the police chief said.
Hare was found on the same side road, the chief said.
He was taken to a hospital, where he died at 7:21 a.m. Friday, state police said in a statement.
The suspect was missing.
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Smith has a criminal history in South Carolina, including allegations of hostage-taking, robbery and armed robbery, Weisler said.
He also spent time in Albuquerque, he said.
The vehicle with the flat tire belonged to a Marion County, South Carolina, paramedic, Phonesia Machado-Fore, 52, who was found murdered Friday after she was reported missing in the area, the chief said.
Smith is a person of interest in the South Carolina case, he said.