A police officer who authorities say attempted to chase down a 38-year-old felon with three active arrest warrants was fatally shot by the suspect Friday after an exchange of gunfire in a southern New Mexico town.
(FOX)- The suspect, Joseph Moreno, also was killed in the morning shootout near a trailer park in Alamogordo, police said at a news conference. The desert town of about 31,000 people is home to the White Sands National Monument and Holloman Air Force Base.
Police identified the slain officer as Clint Corvinus, a four-year veteran who graduated from high school in Alamogordo. Authorities said he is survived by his parents, girlfriend and an 8-year-old daughter.
“I am again so very saddened to see that yet another courageous law enforcement officer has been killed in the line of duty,” Gov. Susana Martinez said in a statement. “The violence against our police officers has to end, and we must do everything we can to stand up for those who put their lives on the line every single day to protect us.”
Corvinus’ death marks the second fatal shooting of a police officer in a rural area of the state in less than a month. Three weeks ago, authorities said an Ohio fugitive gunned down Officer Jose Chavez during a traffic stop in Hatch, a village about 100 miles west of Alamogordo that’s known for its green chile crop.
The suspect in that shooting, Jesse Hanes, was taken into custody after a dramatic car pursuit, a carjacking and the shooting of a bystander whose car Hanes stole, police said.