Officer Darian Jarrott was killed during a traffic stop

On February 4, 2021, New Mexico State Police Officer Darian Jarrott was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 10 near Deming. The tragic event, captured on video and shared on social media, shows the moment when Omar Felix Cueva, the driver of a Chevrolet truck, exits the vehicle armed with an AR-15 rifle and fatally shoots the officer.

The video of the incident, posted on the Police Activity YouTube channel, reveals how the initial interaction between Jarrott and Cueva seemed cordial until the latter pulled out a gun inside the car. Cueva got out of the vehicle under the pretense of following the officer to his patrol car but instead opened fire, killing Jarrott.

Immediately after the shooting, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent at the scene notified the New Mexico State Police. An alert was issued to local and state law enforcement agencies.

Cueva was later located on Interstate 10, where he continued shooting at the pursuing officers. The chase ended with a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver near mile marker 140 in Las Cruces. During the shootout, Cueva was wounded and later pronounced dead.

Officer Jarrott, who began his career in the Motor Transportation Division of NMDPS and joined the State Police in 2015, is survived by his wife and three young children, with a fourth child on the way. His funeral was held on February 12, 2021, in a ceremony restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who was Omar Felix Cueva?

Federal and state authorities were investigating Felix Cueva for a drug trafficking case. It is believed that the perpetrator was traveling to carry out a transaction related to organized crime when Officer Jarrott pulled him over.

Law enforcement officers pursued Felix Cueva until they caught up with and killed him in the Las Cruces area, 30 miles from where Officer Jarrott was murdered.

During the confrontation with the police, Felix Cueva resisted arrest and, after immobilizing his vehicle, shot another officer, injuring one more, though his life is not in danger.

The assailant had a long criminal history in California, where he had been arrested for attempting to distribute methamphetamines and other illicit substances.