Felipe Hernandez, a 44-year-old police officer from Las Cruces, New Mexico, found himself at the center of a criminal investigation after a tragic incident on October 3, 2023.
Hernandez, an eight-year veteran of the Las Cruces Police Department, was arrested on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, and faces second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of 45-year-old Teresa Gomez
The incident unfolded around 4:45 a.m. near the 1300 block of Burley Court when Officer Hernandez, while on bicycle patrol, approached a vehicle parked outside a public housing complex.
Inside the vehicle sat Teresa Gomez in the driver’s seat and Jesus Garcia, a man with outstanding arrest warrants, in the passenger seat.
What began as an interaction over alleged trespassing quickly escalated.
Body cam footage, later released by the Las Cruces Police Department, revealed a tense exchange between Hernandez and the occupants of the vehicle.
Hernandez, in the footage, is seen and heard using profanities and commanding Gomez and Garcia, threatening to use his stun gun if they did not comply.
According to the Doña Ana County District Attorney Gerald Byers, this interaction demonstrated a lack of protocol management and was subpar on a human interaction level.
As the situation intensified, Gomez, after several minutes of exchanges, re-entered her vehicle and attempted to drive away.
Officer Hernandez then fired three shots at her vehicle. Gomez was struck by the gunfire and later pronounced dead, with the University of New Mexico Office of the Medical Examiner listing the manner of death as homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the chest.
After the shooting, Hernandez was immediately placed on administrative leave. His arrest and charge of second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement followed an investigation by the officer-involved shooting task force.
This decision by the District Attorney’s office to press charges is notable, as it is rare for officers to be charged following shooting incidents. The case received significant attention, with District Attorney Byers emphasizing the absence of necessity or self-defense in Hernandez’s use of deadly force against Gomez.
Gomez’s family, devastated by the loss, filed a federal wrongful-death lawsuit, accusing the police of excessive force and infringement of civil rights.
Officer Hernandez faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
