A New Mexico State Police Officer, Justin Hare, was shot and killed while attempting to assist a man with a flat tire on Friday, March 15.
According to NMSP, Hare, 35, was dispatched to Interstate 40 near Tucumcari. Hare parked behind the vehicle and the suspect, Jaremy Alexander Smith, exited his vehicle and approached Hare’s passenger side window and shot him, then moved to the driver’s side and shot him again. Smith pushed Hare to the passenger seat and drove off.
Another NMSP officer was dispatched to the scene when he saw Hare’s patrol unit driving at high speed along the frontage road of I-40. The officer found Hare’s unit empty and crashed on the frontage road near milepost 304. Smith fled on foot and Hare was located on the frontage road near milepost 312. Hare was transported to the hospital but died from his injuries.
Statewide manhunt
According to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday, March 17, BCSO responded to a report from a store clerk at Murphy Gas Station at 2730 Sunshine W Plaza Dr. in Albuquerque. The report matched the description of Smith and deputies located him near Dennis Chavez Blvd. and Unser SW where a foot pursuit occurred and deputies fired at Smith and took him into custody.
Smith has an extensive criminal background and is a suspect in the murder of a South Carolina paramedic, Phonesia Machado-Fore. According to WYFF News 4, NMSP contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to inform them that Machado-Fore’s vehicle was involved in the murder of Hare, and Smith was identified as the driver. Machado-Fore was reported missing on Thursday, March 14 and MCSO found her body on the evening of Friday, March 15.
“This is evil”
Hare grew up in Logan and Moriarty but has lived in Tucumcari working for NMSP with his girlfriend and two young daughters. According to Moriarty High School Principal Robert Adams, Hare was a senior at the high school in 2007 and according to NMSP, he graduated from recruitment school in 2018. His parents, Terry and Jim Hare, attend and are involved in the East Mountain Cowboy Church in Edgewood.
“This was not humane and wasn’t just criminal, this is evil,” said Curt Miller, pastor of East Mountain Cowboy Church. Miller said Terry and Jim lost their other son, James “JC” Hare to cancer in 1999.
“This is tough on them and they are just trying to process,” Miller said. “This man not only took Justin’s life but he took this lady’s life in South Carolina. I think this disrespect and disregard for first responders across the country is out of control. He was just helping a man and he did this to him. There needs to be a lot of changes.”
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement that the capture of Smith was a major step toward justice for Hare’s family and there needs to be decisive action to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous, repeat felony offenders.
A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Saturday, March 23 at 7 p.m. at Crossley Park in Moriarty.
The funeral service will be held at Legacy Church at 7201 Central Ave. NW in Albuquerque on Wednesday, March 27 at 11 a.m. A GoFundMe page has been created for Hare’s family.