WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – On behalf of the Navajo Nation, Vice President Richelle Montoya and First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren today expressed condolences to the family of New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare.
Officer Hare was shot and killed Friday morning while helping a motorist with a flat tire.
Officer Hare, 35, had been dispatched at 5 a.m. to assist a driver when he was gunned down without warning by a suspect who was wanted in connection with a murder of a first responder who was found dead outside of Lake View in Dillon County, South Carolina, on Friday.
Officer Hare’s killer was shot and captured by deputies with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday following a chase and officer-involved shooting.
March 17, 2024
To the family of New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare,
It is with great sympathy and deep sadness that, on behalf of the Navajo Nation, I express our sincere condolences to you for the tragic and senseless loss of New Mexico State Police Officer Justin Hare on Friday.
At just 35 years old, Officer Hare was a young husband and father of two young children who was taken from us in the line of duty by a criminal felon. Officer Hare was helping a motorist with a flat tire when he was approached and shot with without warning.
If there is any good to be mentioned, it is that his fellow police officers with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office quickly apprehended his killer, thanks to the help of a Murphy’s gas station store clerk who spotted him, to make the City of Albuquerque that much safer.
Along with all Navajo citizens, Vice President Richelle Montoya, First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren and I, we offer our deepest condolences to Mrs. Hare, her children and the beloved relatives of Officer Justin Hare.
Sincerely,
Dr. Buu Nygren, President THE NAVAJO NATION
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