Report: Clovis officer justified in fatal shooting

A panel of district attorneys has found a Clovis police officer was justified when he shot and killed a suspected car thief on Oct. 8.

Ninth Judicial District Attorney Andrea Reeb made the announcement on Thursday night.

"I received the decision from the panel last Friday, unanimously agreeing that no criminal prosecution should be initiated against Officer (Brent) Aguilar relating to his use of deadly force against Arron Chavez," Reeb said in a news release. "I have stated from the beginning that I would follow the recommendations of the panel whatever those recommendations turned out to be. I intend to do just that. I have discussed these results with counsel for the deceased's family and given them a copy of the findings."

Reeb said she immediately referred the case to the DA panel because Aguilar is the son of her chief investigator, Dan Aguilar. The DA's panel consisted of "three independent District Attorneys from across the state and from diverse jurisdictions," Reeb said.

"The sympathy I feel for Arron Chavez and his family cannot determine the outcome of the decision whether to criminally charge someone," Reeb said.

We will have more information as it becomes available.

Click here for full report: https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/home/customer_files/curry_county_jail_log/ois_report_1_.pdf