Suspect in fatal shooting of New Mexico State police officer captured

A suspect in the fatal shooting of a New Mexico State Police officer last week was taken into custody Sunday after law enforcement officers received a tip from a gas station clerk in Albuquerque, authorities said.

Following a two-day manhunt, Jaremy Smith, 33, of Marion, South Carolina, was captured after a foot pursuit and officer-involved shooting with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, according to the sheriff's office. He was detained after a clerk at a gas station in southwestern Albuquerque reported seeing a man who matched Smith’s description, Sheriff John Allen said at a brief news conference Sunday.

Sheriff's deputies found Smith walking and set up a perimeter in a nearby neighborhood, according to Allen. Smith was then wounded by gunfire as deputies pursued him on foot and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

"A foot pursuit ensued," Allen said. "Shots were fired. Some shots strike Smith, we don’t know the amount right now or how many, that’s still under investigation. But Smith was then taken into custody without further incident."

Smith's arrest comes days after the fatal shooting of New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare, 35. He was dispatched to assist Smith on Friday morning along Interstate 40 when Smith shot him and fled from the scene, according to the sheriff's office.

State Police Chief Troy Weisler said the investigation is ongoing and authorities are looking into Smith’s movements since the shooting on Friday. "Everything is really preliminary right now on the investigation, so we’re not going to get into any of the details," Weisler said.

Shooting of New Mexico State Police officer

At around 5:00 a.m. local time on Friday, Hare responded to a call to help a driver with a flat tire on Interstate 40, according to state police. The driver, who was later identified as Smith, was in a white BMW and was trying to wave down other drivers for help.

State police said in a statement that Hare was parked behind the BMW when Smith exited and approached the patrol car on the passenger side. "A short conversation ensued about repairing his tire when, without warning, Smith pulled out a firearm and shot Officer Hare," state police said.

Smith then walked to the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle, shot Hare again, and pushed him into the passenger seat before driving away in the patrol vehicle, according to state police.

When Hare did respond to calls from dispatch, state police said another officer was dispatched to help. The responding officer saw Hare's vehicle driving west on I-40 at a "high rate of speed," and attempted to catch up to the vehicle at the next exit, according to state police.

After the responding officer caught up with Hare’s vehicle, it crashed, state police said. Smith was believed to have fled on foot, according to state police, while Hare was located nearby and taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities: Suspect had 'extensive criminal history'

New Mexico State Police later learned that the white BMW belonged to a South Carolina woman who was killed last week, according to a statement from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Phonesia Machado-Fore, 52, a Marion County paramedic, had been reported missing by her family on Thursday evening, the sheriff's office said. Machado-Fore’s body was found around 6:15 p.m. local time on Friday outside of Lake View in neighboring Dillon County.

New Mexico State Police had notified the Marion County Sheriff's Office that Machado-Fore's vehicle was involved in the fatal shooting of a state police officer, according to the sheriff's office.

"Federal, state, and local authorities worked across the country in an attempt to identify the driver as well as find Mrs. Machado-Fore, the sheriff's office's said. "Over the course of the investigation, information led law enforcement to a property in Dillon County where Mrs. Machado-Fore was located."

Before his arrest on Sunday, state police said Smith had an "extensive criminal history" in South Carolina, including armed robbery, auto theft, and evading officers, among other crimes.