RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) - A police officer in a suburb of Albuquerque decided to make one more traffic stop before his shift finished Monday night. It ended up costing him his life.
Rio Rancho Police Chief Michael Geier detailed the last moments of Officer Gregg Benner's shift during a news conference Tuesday in which police identified a known gang member with an extensive criminal record that included a manslaughter conviction and weapons charges as the man who shot and killed the officer.
Geier said Andrew Romero, 28, was a passenger in the vehicle that Benner attempted to stop just after 8 p.m. Monday near a fast-food restaurant.
"It started out as, for all practical purposes, a routine traffic stop, something our officers do daily," the chief said. "Officer Benner is a hardworking, very motivated officer so I believe he was just following up on inquiries he was making."
After a short chase through a shopping center parking lot, the vehicle stopped near a library and post office. As Benner approached again, Geier said the passenger shot at the officer with a handgun.
Benner was hit multiple times in the torso and didn't have a chance to draw his weapon, Geier said.
Benner fell to the ground and a distress call went out over the radio, according to investigators. Within minutes, residents who were nearby and an off-duty paramedic came to the officer's aid.
He later died at a hospital.
Prior to the shooting, a warrant had been issued for Romero for probation violations. The chief said during the news conference that charges related to the shooting were pending and that Romero could face both state and federal charges.
Romero was taken into custody in the Albuquerque area early Tuesday after he and a group of men were seen robbing a gas station. Bernalillo County sheriff's Sgt. Aaron Williamson said several agencies helped with the apprehension about 20 miles from where Benner was shot.
Authorities said the investigation into the shooting and the robbery was ongoing.