New Mexico Policemen Shot Dead After Traffic Stop, Suspect in Custody

Andrew Romero (right) is accused of fatally wounding Officer Gregg Nigel Benner in a shooting.

[From article]
Just after 8 p.m. Monday, officer Gregg "Nigel" Benner was shot during a traffic stop near Southern Boulevard and Pinetree Road in Rio Rancho. He later died at UNM Hospital, the department confirmed early Tuesday.
Benner, 49, was a four-year veteran of the department and a married father of five adult children. He was also an Air Force veteran.
[. . .]
RRPD said this is the first time an officer has been shot and killed in the line of duty in the department's 34-year history.
Monday night, officer Benner pulled over a man and woman in an 1999 Dodge Durango at Arby's on Southern Boulevard. The license plate attached to the Durango did not match the vehicle, which may have been the impetus of the stop, according to a police spokesperson.
The suspects, a female driver and a passenger - a man identified as 28-year-old Andrew Romero - then fled in the vehicle and ended up near the Esther Bone Memorial Library.
[. . .]
Police said Romero likely reached around the woman in the driver's seat and shot Benner several times in the torso.
Police confirmed in a Monday news conference that a handgun was used and that at least three casings were found. The handgun was connected to a robbery that Romero allegedly committed later Sunday night.
Benner was unable to draw his gun in time, Rio Rancho Police Chief Michael Geier said.
A Good Samaritan and an off-duty paramedic immediately rushed to Benner's aid after the shooting. The officer was transported to UNM Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Rio Rancho police said the female driver stayed on scene while Romero fled. She was shot in the foot and is currently being held on previous charges related to probation violations and is cooperating with the investigation, according to Chief Geier.
Romero has previous convictions for violent crimes, including serving three years in prison for manslaughter. He was wanted on an outstanding warrant for probation violations.
Around 3:30 a.m., several law enforcement agencies helped locate and arrest Romero at a Valero gas station near Rio Bravo and Broadway in Albuquerque. Police say he was in another stolen vehicle at that time.

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S3806808.shtml#.VWT3d2TBzRY

Rio Rancho police identify officer killed in shooting; suspect in custody
Updated: 05/26/2015 4:41 PM | Created: 05/25/2015 8:34 PM
By: Elizabeth Reed and Blair Miller

KOB.com