Newly released footage shows the cold moment that a New Mexico police officer was shot during a stop in New Mexico.
The video of the dashcam of police officer Darrian Jarrott’s group car shows the statesman approaching a Chevy pickup truck on Interstate-10 on February 4 and questioning the driver because he had too dark tinted windows.
WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT AND LANGUAGE THAT CAN DESTROY
During a peaceful conversation lasting several minutes, the driver identified himself as Omar Felix Cueva and admitted he had a firearm in the vehicle, according to news reports.
“Do you mind if I take it off for my safety?” Jarrott is heard asking Cueva, according to footage published by Fox News.
Jarrott, who was standing on the passenger side of the truck, asks Cueva to follow him back to his squad car so he can drive his name – if things get fatal.
Cueva steps out of the pickup with an AR-15-style rifle and makes fire.
“O s – t!” the policeman is heard screaming before falling to the ground.
The 39-year-old Cueva chased away, leaving Jarrott on the side of the road and leading New Mexico police on a 40-mile rapid-fire chase – before being killed in a shootout with police.
Police said Cuvea had a violent criminal history and was on his way to a drug trade when he was pulled over by Jarrott, a five-year veteran of the force, KVIA-TV said.
“Even when there was a difficult situation, the man always smiled,” New Mexico Police Chief Robert Thornton said of Jarrott after his death.
Another policeman was wounded and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.