N.M. Police Officer Seriously Injured in Traffic Stop Shootout
By Gregory Hasman
Source Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
What to know
- During a late-night traffic stop, an armed suspect shot a Bloomfield police officer before another officer returned fire, fatally shooting the suspect.
- Officer Timothy Ontiveros, who has been with the department for six months, suffered life-threatening injuries and was transferred to an Albuquerque hospital.
- The second officer was uninjured, and the shooting is under investigation.
A person was killed and an officer was injured during a shootout with police in Bloomfield on Monday night.
At 10:55 p.m., a police officer was conducting a traffic stop when a person shot an officer. A second officer then fatally shot the person, whose name was not released, according to a Bloomfield Police Department social media post. Bloomfield Police Chief Phillip Francisco said in a phone interview the incident happened at North Jordan Street and U.S. 64.
Timothy Ontiveros, a Bloomfield police officer, 32, was initially taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries before being transferred to an Albuquerque hospital, police said.
"We're all pretty upset," Francisco said. "We're going to support him as much as possible."
Francisco said Ontiveros has been on the force for six months and is "very approachable and very calm."
"We are all praying for the officer," Bloomfield Mayor Cynthia Atencio said.
The second officer, whose name was not released by police, was not injured and is on administrative leave, Francisco said.
Police said more information will be released when it becomes available.
Bloomfield is a city of about 7,300 people in northwest New Mexico.
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