SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico State Police Officer Darian Jarrott was shot and killed by Omar Cueva during a traffic stop along Interstate 10 in Deming on February 4, 2021. The suspect then led police on a chase that ended with a gunfight and his subsequent death in Las Cruces, Law Officer reported.
The officer’s widow, Gabriella Jarrott, filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that her husband died due to the agency’s negligence, AlbuquerqueJournal reported.
The civil action was filed by Gabriella Jarrott Friday at the 1st Judicial District Court in Santa Fe on behalf of the minor children and as personal representative of the estate of Darian Jarrott. The state Department of Public Safety is named as a defendant in the suit, which alleges the organization’s negligence as a cause of action.
Officer Darian Jarrott was tragically killed by Omar Felix Cueva during a traffic stop on Feb. 4.
State Police documents previously released to the Journal reveal that Cueva had been targeted in a federal drug sting involving a confidential informant and undercover agent.
Officials with Homeland Security Investigations were hoping that State Police could take Cueva into custody during a traffic stop so that he wouldn’t suspect getting set up by the undercover agent and confidential informant, according to reports.
Sam Bregman represents Gabriella Jarrott. He said her husband was “slaughtered in an ambush that never had to happen.”
“The reason he was killed was because Homeland Security Investigations valued the identity of a confidential informant more than the life of a State Police officer,” Bregman told the Journal. “This all could have been avoided.”
DASHCAM FOOTAGE FROM FATAL SHOOTING OF OFFICER DARIAN JARROTT
Furthermore, Bregman said he will be filing a lawsuit against HSI, which tasked State Police with Cueva’s capture along I-10 as an alternative to arresting him during an undercover operation in Las Cruces.
The lawsuit alleges that State Police and HSI had Jarrott make the traffic stop without any backup or protective gear and without informing him of “how dangerous Cueva was known to be.”
Jarrott’s sergeant as well as a pair of State Police officers were reportedly aware of the operation, but the lawsuit says Jarrott was not informed or invited to the HSI briefing beforehand, thus he was unaware of the danger, the Journal reported.
“Jarrott had no substantial training in special tactics or the kind of high-risk operation that was being carried out with respect to Cueva,” the lawsuit says.
New Mexico State Police declined to comment on the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.
