Las Cruces, New Mexico has agreed to a $20 million settlement for the family of Teresa Gomez, a 45-year-old woman who was killed in a 2023 police shooting. According to reports, Gomez was shot by officer Felipe Hernandez while sitting in a car outside a public housing complex. The settlement, which is the largest ever paid by Las Cruces, comes as Hernandez faces a second-degree murder trial in 2025.
New Mexico has been identified as the deadliest state in the country for fatal police shootings, with a high per capita rate of police shooting people. Factors contributing to the high rate of police shootings in the state include high gun ownership and poverty rates. Despite efforts to enact gun safety laws, New Mexico still has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the country.
The Albuquerque Police Department, which has been under federal oversight since 2015, has a history of using force and faces challenges in holding officers accountable for shootings. In response to the issue of police violence, New Mexico has implemented non-police emergency responder programs to address calls involving mental and behavioral health crises. Despite national efforts to reform police departments, 2023 was identified as the deadliest year for officer-involved shootings since 2013.
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