LAS CRUCES, NM – A somber mood has enveloped the city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, following the death of a local police officer in a horrific incident on Sunday evening. Patrol Officer Jonah Hernandez was fatally stabbed by a suspect he was investigating, who was then shot and killed by a bystander.
Officer Hernandez was responding to a trespassing report on South Valley Drive around 5 p.m. when he was brutally attacked. According to the Las Cruces Police Department, Hernandez was stabbed at least once during the confrontation.
A witness to the incident promptly used the officer’s police radio to call for reinforcements. Despite being swiftly transported to MountainView Regional Medical Center, Hernandez’s life could not be saved.
The alleged perpetrator, a 29-year-old man, was shot dead by the same bystander who had made the distress call. The identity of the suspect is being withheld until his next of kin can be informed.
Hernandez, who hailed from El Paso, Texas, had devoted the last two years of his life to serving the Las Cruces community as a police officer. The Las Cruces Police Department has promised to share more information about the incident in the coming days.
Las Cruces is located approximately 223 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and 46 miles northwest of El Paso, Texas.