Panel still reviewing deadly shooting

CLOVIS — A panel of three district attorneys from other parts of the state are still reviewing the case of the Oct. 8 officer-involved deadly force incident in Clovis. Officials said last week there’s still no telling when they might make a decision on whether to press criminal charges against Officer Brent Aguilar or proceed differently.

Rick Tedrow, district attorney for the 11th Judicial District’s first division, is the liaison for the New Mexico District Attorney’s Association panel system for evaluating conflict cases from across the state. He told The News on Friday there likely would be no decision before year’s end, but that the panel had received its materials in the middle of last month.

“I wish I could give you a timeline,” he said, explaining that panel members are given access to case materials through a private online portal and no firm deadline as to when to review them.

The panel system was established relatively recently. After the two three-member panels finish reviewing the four cases currently between them it will have been a total of six that have gone through that process, he said.

Each of the four cases involve an officer-involved deadly-force incident, he said. In addition to the October case from Clovis, in which Aguilar killed car-theft suspect Arron Chavez, the three other cases originate from Farmington, Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Meanwhile, last week the state’s Department of Public Safety denied a second request from The News to review materials from New Mexico State Police’s investigation of the Oct. 8 incident. Their response stated that “law enforcement records that reveal confidential sources, methods, information or individuals accused but not charged with a crime” exempt those records from review.

The panel reviewing the case from Clovis consists of District Attorneys Marco Serna, Francesca Martinez-Estevez and Tim Rose of the 1st, 6th and 10th judicial districts, respectively.

A wrongful death suit filed by Chavez’s father is still in progress. Aguilar returned to active duty with CPD about a week after the incident.