A New Mexico town has reached a $20 million settlement with the family of a woman who was shot and killed by a police officer, who has now been charged with second-degree murder.
Teresa Gomez, 45, was fatally shot in October 2023 after a Las Cruces police officer on a bicycle approached her as she sat in a parked car with another man, authorities said. Body camera video shows the officer shot Gomez three times as he tried to drive away.
The officer, identified by the city as Felipe Hernandez, was charged in January and fired from the Las Cruces Police Department months later.
“This settlement should be understood as a statement of the City's deep sense of loss for Gomez's death and the City's condolences to his family,” the city of Las Cruces said in a news release sent Friday.
Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder charges. His trial is scheduled for June 2. The Associated Press sent an email Saturday seeking comment from Hernandez's attorney.
An attorney for the Gomez family said their relatives were grateful to the city “for recognizing the injustice of Teresa's death.” The Las Cruces Sun-News reported,
Shannon Kennedy said in a statement to the newspaper, “She is confident that the city will redouble efforts to ensure that no other family has to face the tragedy of losing a loved one due to abusive police conduct.”