State Police officer was 'stand-up guy'

Responding to calls from stranded drivers with broken-down cars is a regular feature of the job for New Mexico State Police.

But Officer Justin Hare, who was shot and killed while on duty Friday morning, was known for taking that task to the next level.

"If he saw a car or a pickup on the side of the highway, he was always stopping to try to help them," said Jason Goen, a Tucumcari mechanic and tow truck driver who regularly worked alongside Hare for years. "When you call out road service it's kind of expensive, and he would help people, you know, try to help save them money and save them time. ... He was just a stand-up guy."

Hare, 35, was responding to a call on Interstate 40 west of Tucumcari early Friday morning when he was fatally shot by a stranded motorist, police saiid.

State police released video images of the man suspected in the shooting, Jaremy Smith, 32, of Marion, S.C., who fled the scene and remained at large on Saturday morning.

The suspect was "last seen on foot" on the frontage road that runs along I-40 at milepost 304 between Montoya and Newkirk.

Goen, 44, said it's a desolate area, with plenty of mesquite and rattlesnakes.

"There's nothing out there," he said. "It's a very barren stretch of land. ... You'd have to be a heck of a Boy Scout to survive in that environment."

Goen, who works for Jack's Truck Repair and 4J's Towing & Recovery Services in Tucumcari, said Hare was an all-around hardworking patrolman - in addition to breaking out his own electric impact wrench or getting down on the ground to help drivers change their tires.

"Every time we had a semi truck wreck he would be out there. He would be the last state police officer to leave the scene," Goen said. "He was down there as long as he could, helping direct traffic so that we would be safe doing our job."

Goen said Hare was from the Logan area, and was a fixture in the community - showing up to cookouts at the tow truck shop and sometimes taking oranges or other fruit from overturned semis to kids playing sports at schools.

"It's a shock to our community for sure," he said of Hare's death.

The Logan Police Department posted on Facebook Hare was "long-time member of the Logan community and will be greatly missed but never forgotten. ... "Hare, may you rest in peace, Sir. We have the watch from here."

Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Jason Bowie was one of many state officials who offered condolences to Hare's family and other loved ones.

"This is shocking news to everyone who knew and worked with Officer Hare," Bowie said in a statement, calling his death "a sacrifice no one should have to make."

"Officer Hare will never be forgotten, and his sacrifice safeguarding our state is worthy of the highest honors," Bowie said.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she was heartbroken by news of Hare's death in the line of duty.

"It's a tragic reminder of the dangers our law enforcement officers face each time they put on a uniform and report for duty," she said in a statement.

Goen said Hare's death has rattled him and his colleagues not just because they knew him, but because they're often in a similar situation.

"We're out there all hours of the day, all hours of the night," he said. "This is really gonna be stuck in my mind from now on, that people out on these roads at night especially. Are they gonna try to harm you because you're coming up to help them?"