New Mexico police officer dies after being shot on duty
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A decorated police officer died Thursday after being shot more than a week ago by an ex-convict during a traffic stop outside a pharmacy, authorities said.
Albuquerque Officer Daniel Webster, 47, died following an emotional week in which restaurants held fundraisers to support the wounded officer's family and hotels donated lodging for relatives, police Chief Gorden Eden said in a statement.
"This is a man who is truly a legacy within the department," Eden said at a news conference. "I can't say enough to the community, who rose up and did so much to support this family."
Webster spent nearly nine years with the Albuquerque Police Department and was named uniformed officer of the year in 2013. He previously served in the U.S. Army, completing a two-decade career before becoming a police officer.
As an Army Ranger, Webster was deployed to Bosnia, South Africa and Iraq.
Webster was shot in his jaw and upper body on the night of Oct. 21 after Davon Lymon opened fire and fled as he was being handcuffed, police said. The 34-year-old suspect has been in and out of the court system for years and pleaded guilty more than a decade ago to a voluntary manslaughter charge.
Court records show Lymon also faced aggravated battery and kidnapping charges last year, but those counts were dismissed.
Lymon's record and the histories of men charged in other high-profile cases, including a recent freeway shooting that killed a pre-schooler, have led law enforcement officials to criticize the state's justice system. They are calling on the Legislature to enact sentencing reforms and increase resources for police and prosecutors in high-crime areas.
Eden has described Webster as a high-performing officer who recently left a detective post to patrol the streets amid a shortage of officers.
Hundreds of people turned out for a vigil held over the weekend in support of Webster and in memory of Lilly Garcia, the 4-year-old girl killed during a road-rage shooting the day before Webster was shot.
Officer Tanner Tixier, a police spokesman, said Webster was "always on 100 percent of the time" and colleagues never saw him idle.
Stephanie Lopez, president of the police union, said Webster served as a representative on the union's board of directors. He was well-liked by his colleagues and had a great sense of humor, she said.
"It was impossible to know him and not love him," Lopez said through tears. "Every contact with every citizen he made he definitely made a lasting impression. He would respond to make a difference."
Authorities have said Webster pulled over Lymon for riding a motorcycle with a stolen license plate. Lymon was later found hiding in a shed with a handcuff on his left wrist. He was hospitalized for injuries suffered when he was apprehended by a police dog.
Authorities also said a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol was found in a vacant lot where Lymon headed after the shooting.
Lymon is in federal custody and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. A judge has ordered him to remain jailed pending trial.
"We condemn this act in the strongest possible terms," said Damon Martinez, U.S. attorney for New Mexico.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said additional state charges are expected soon against Lymon, with the timing depending on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.