Southwest
Internal review shows aggravating factors in New Mexico officer's deadly shooting
Flawed tactics and poor communications were among the key findings of a New Mexico State Police internal review of the deadly shooting of an officer who unknowingly stopped an armed drug suspect while he was being tracked by federal agents as part of an undercover operation in February 2021.
The report released Wednesday provides excruciating detail — partially drawn from dashboard and body-worn camera footage — of the death of Officer Darian Jarrott. He was killed by a burst of gunfire during a traffic stop on Interstate 10.
The report also describes the killing of drug trafficking suspect Omar Cueva-Felix after a 40-mile vehicle chase and a shootout with authorities in Las Cruces.
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It concludes that two U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents and a State Police supervisor provided conflicting accounts about whether the supervisor received “full disclosure” about Cueva-Felix’s criminal history and an HSI plan to arrest him along the interstate.
“Omar Cueva-Felix killed Officer Jarrott in cold blood, and unfortunately, we cannot change that,” New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler said in a statement that accompanied the release of the report.
The chief said the review resulted in several internal departmental policy changes and discussions about possible alternative actions and tactics for certain situations.
“The highlighting of mistakes by different individuals involved in the incident and noting areas for improvement is done solely to learn and find ways to operate more safely,” Weisler said.
New Mexico State Police Officer Darian Jarrott, pictured at right, is fatally shot on video by Omar Cueva-Felix following a vehicle chase. (Austin Contreras via Storyful/New Mexico State Police)
Jarrott, 28, was the first New Mexico State Police officer killed in the line of duty in more than 30 year. A father of four, he became a state police officer in 2015 after working as a state transportation inspector.
The incident spawned multiple lawsuits that allege both HSI and Jarrott’s superiors were negligent and did not warn the officer of Cueva-Felix’s dangerousness beforehand. A federal judge in Albuquerque dismissed one of the cases last July with a ruling that the government was immune from liability.
A State Police supervisor had asked Jarrott to pull over Cueva-Felix at the behest of federal agents. The request was made after the suspect sold a large quantity of drugs to an undercover agent, showed off a large rifle and told them he wasn’t going back to prison.
Cueva-Felix, 40, of Deming, had what authorities described as an extensive criminal history in California and was known to carry firearms.
The fatal traffic stop occurred the afternoon of Feb. 4, 2021, on I-10, about 15 miles east of Deming. Within minutes, Jarrott was ambushed and shot multiple times. Cueva-Felix then led authorities on a chase that ended with him being killed in Las Cruces during a shootout that also injured a city police officer.
Eric McLoughlin, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, said in a statement provided to the Albuquerque Journal that the agency is reviewing the report and the committee’s recommendations regarding joint enforcement actions. He also reiterated the agency’s condolences for Jarrott’s death.
McLoughlin said the New Mexico State Police is among many law enforcement agencies with which his agency works and special agents are often embedded as task force members with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
According to the review, no State Police officers were at an official operation briefing and Jarrott was not included in text messages with federal agents about the plan. It also noted that there was no incident command structure in place, even though two agencies and different HSI elements were working in cities 60 miles (96 kilometers) apart.
The review also found that Jarrott didn’t appear to pick up on “danger cues” after stopping Cueva-Felix and should have “changed his tactics” once he spotted a handgun on the suspect’s hip.
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The Dallas Police Department provided an emotional update after Officer Darron Burks was shot and killed, saying that the former high school teacher was “executed” while in the line of duty.
In a press conference Friday, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said that the department had lost a “brother” and a “hero” following the shooting.
“As a department and as a family, we are devastated,” Garcia said. “Last night we lost a brother, a hero. Officer Darron Burks was a son, a nephew, a friend to many, and he was senselessly and tragically murdered in the line of duty.”
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Officer Darron Burks, 46, was killed in a shooting in Oak Cliff, and two other responding officers were injured late Thursday night at approximately 10 p.m. (Dallas Police Department)
The shooting, which happened around 10 p.m. Thursday night near the Oak Cliff Community Center, killed Burks and wounded two other officers. The suspected gunman, identified as 30-year-old Corey Cobb-Bey, was killed in a shootout with police after a highway chase.
“We came close to losing other officers,” Garcia said. “Officers who put their lives on the line to protect their brother, and it is by the grace of God that they are still with us today.”
The chief of police said that the officers were “targeted” by Cobb-Bey.
Our officers were targeted by nothing more than the uniforms that they wear.
“Our officers were targeted by nothing more than the uniforms that they wear and for the brave and honorable job that they do,” he said. “I want to be clear here, the word ambush has been thrown around in the last 24 hours. That is not what happened here. Officer Burks was executed.”
Garcia said the shooting suspect, 30-year-old Corey Cobb-Bey, approached Burks while he was waiting in a parking lot between calls. Shortly after approaching him, he pulled out a handgun and shot him. (Dallas Police Department)
Garcia revealed that Cobb-Bey approached Burks and struck up a conversation, while recording the encounter on a cellphone, before pulling out a handgun and opening fire. Police said that they have no evidence that Burks and Cobb-Bey knew each other.
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“Cobb-Bey approached Burks and talked with him briefly at the driver’s side of the window as he recorded the encounter with a cellphone,” he said. “The suspect then pulled out a handgun and executed Officer Burks as he sat in his vehicle.”
Police said they got a 911 call about an officer in distress. Responding officers found Burks in his marked patrol vehicle critically injured.
A Dallas Police Department vehicle is seen being towed away from the scene where the officers were shot on Thursday. (KDFW)
At 10:11 p.m., Senior Corporal Jamie Farmer pulled into the parking lot after responding to a call for backup. Farmer was met with gunfire from Cobb-Bey. When Farmer returned fire, Cobb-Bey grabbed the shotgun and fired at Farmer, hitting him in the leg.
A minute later, Senior Corporal Karissa David arrived on the scene.
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The Cobb-Bey ran toward David, shooting at her multiple times while she exited her vehicle.
David was shot in the face, according to police.
The officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, and two additional officers were shot.
The suspect was shot and killed at the end of a high-speed police chase on Interstate 35 from Dallas to Lewisville.
A procession of police vehicles roll through Dallas early Friday, after an officer was killed in the line of duty. (KTVT)
Burks was a former high school math teacher at the Texas Can Academy’s Pleasant Grove Campus, whose passion for helping his community led him to enroll in the police academy, FOX 4 reported, citing sources.
“Last year, Officer Burks bravely decided to leave the field of education to serve our city as a member of the Dallas Police Department. His commitment to serving others, both as a teacher and as a police officer, exemplified his dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of those around him,” wrote Tina Shaw, the principal at Texas Can Academy’s Pleasant Grove Campus.
One former student, Adrian Coleman, said that Burks mentored troubled youths.
“As a troubled youth, he made sure to instill knowledge and provide me with the tools I needed to graduate, to be a man out here in this world,” Coleman told the local outlet. “I am very thankful for him and the time he spent with me.”
A rookie police officer, Burks first entered the Dallas Police Academy last year.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Dallas Police Department for comment.
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A hit-and-run driver remains outstanding after they collided with an overturned vehicle on the 101 Freeway and fled on foot.
Preliminary information indicates that police had responded to the eastbound span of the 101 near Balboa Boulevard in Encino just before 3 a.m. Saturday on reports of an overturned red sedan blocking traffic.
As first responders arrived on scene, another vehicle – said to be a gray Nissan – barreled into the overturned sedan.
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A hit-and-run driver remains outstanding after they collided with an overturned vehicle on the 101 Freeway and fled on foot. (OnSceneTV) -
A hit-and-run driver remains outstanding after they collided with an overturned vehicle on the 101 Freeway and fled on foot. (OnSceneTV) -
A hit-and-run driver remains outstanding after they collided with an overturned vehicle on the 101 Freeway and fled on foot. (OnSceneTV)
Footage obtained by KTLA shows the Nissan careening across the freeway before smashing into the right shoulder wall. That driver was taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.
The driver of the red sedan fled after the collision; they were seen on video making their way towards the shoulder on foot.
As of 6 a.m. Saturday, they had not been apprehended.
Deputies arrested Guy Schneider, 63, of Yucaipa in an undercover child predator operation where he allegedly arranged to meet with a 13-year-old girl for sexual acts.
The 13-year-old girl was in fact an alias created by Perris Sheriff’s Station Special Enforcement Team deputies for this investigation. They received a response from Schneider ultimately expressing his desire to meet and perform sex acts, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies arranged to meet Schneider on Friday and took him into custody without incident. During his arrest, deputies found he also possessed two firearms.
Schneider was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center and is being held on a $1,000,000 bail.
The investigation team asks anyone with information about this case to contact Deputy Hartert at the Perris Sheriff’s Station: 951-210-1000.
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