The family of a woman shot dead by a former New Mexico police officer has reached a $20 million settlement with the city that employed him, ahead of his murder trial next year.
Las Cruces police officer Felipe Hernandez killed Teresa Gomez, 45, last year and the city said in a statement Monday that his actions “on the morning of Oct. 3, 2023, were so severe that charges were brought against Hernandez.”
In January, Hernandez was charged with second-degree murder and later fired from the police department. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled for June 2, 2025.
The shooting, which was captured on body camera footage, happened after Hernandez questioned Gomez and a passenger about trespassing after he saw the two of them sitting in a parked vehicle in an area that he described as “public housing.” Hernandez approached the vehicle on a bicycle, proceeding to tell Gomez to step out of her vehicle.
At one point he tells her: “You’re going to get tazed.” A minutes-long interaction takes place between the three and Gomez eventually leaves the vehicle to speak with the officer.
Hernandez recognized the passenger in the vehicle as a person who was allegedly the subject of multiple warrants for trespassing. Hernandez then tells Gomez to step outside of the vehicle, tell her there are rules that need to be followed.
“I will really, really make your life a living hell,” he said, according to the video.
After returning to the vehicle, Gomez then attempts to flee the scene and Hernandez fires at least three shots into the vehicle. She was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
In its statement Monday, the city of Las Cruces said that the settlement should not indicate “criminal guilt” on the part of Hernandez and noted that it will respect the criminal justice process.
“This settlement should be understood as a statement of the City’s profound feeling of loss for the death of Gomez and of the City’s condolences to her family,” it added.
Shannon Kennedy, attorney for Gomez’ family, said in a statement to the Las Cruces Sun-News that Gomez’s parents, children and siblings are still mourning her loss.
“They are grateful to the City of Las Cruces for recognizing the injustice of Teresa’s death,” Kennedy said. “They trust that the city will redouble efforts to make sure no other family suffers the tragedy of losing a loved one to abusive police conduct.”
NBC News has contacted an attorney for Hernandez for comment overnight and had not received a response at the time of publication.
