Happening Today: Funeral services for fallen Las Cruces police officer
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Loved ones and community members will lay fallen Las Cruces Police Officer Jonah Hernandez to rest Wednesday in El Paso.
A police procession will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday from Martin Funeral Home. The procession will go to Abundant Church where a funeral mass will begin at 10 a.m.
Following mass, police will lead a procession to Hernandez’s final resting place at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery.
LCPD Officer Jonah Hernandez was an El Paso native. On the evening of February 11, he was responding to a trespassing call in Las Cruces when a suspect stabbed him with a kitchen knife.
Police say a witness shot and killed the suspect, then utilized Hernandez’s police radio to call for help.
Paramedics arrived and took Hernandez to the MountainView Regional Medical Center, where he died.
“The loss of Jonah is also a reminder of the dangers officers face every day. On every call, there is a potential for tragedy,” LCPD Chief Jeremy Story said during a news conference.
Story identified the suspect as 29-year-old Armando Silva. He described Silva as “a known criminal.”
Officer Jonah Hernandez joined LCPD in June 2022. He leaves behind a wife and two sons, ages 10 and 2.
Hernandez was 35 years old.
According to LCPD, his death was the first time one of their officers died in the line of duty.
The Las Cruces community held a vigil for him Friday night.
New Mexico State Police and Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office will patrol the streets of Las Cruces as Las Cruces Police Department offices will close Wednesday for the funeral services.
If you attend
The funeral mass is open to the public. However, Hernandez’s family, law enforcement personnel and dignitaries will get seated first.
If you plan to attend, organizers ask that you enter from Castner Drive. Access from Escobar Drive will be limited. They’re also not allowing video or audio recording inside the church.
The City of Las Cruces will have video of the funeral mass on their YouTube channel.
You can view the procession from the sidewalk in El Paso from along Escobar from Zaragoza to Burgundy Drive, along Burgundy from Escobar to North Loop Drive or along Zaragoza from Americas Avenue to the Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
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