On August 24, 2018, deputies with the Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office (RASO) were involved in a police shooting. The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau was contacted to investigate this shooting incident.

The investigation indicates that around 1:00 am on August 24, 2018, RASO received a call about a fight in progress at the Jemez Electric Company on US 84/285 in Rio Arriba County. RASO deputies responded to Jemez Electric and found no sign of a fight in progress. Further investigation led deputies to a residence on County Road 1 in Hernandez, NM. When deputies arrived in the area they heard what sounded like a verbal altercation nearby.

Deputies discovered nearby two males outside a residence on County Road 1. When deputies approached the subjects, both fled from the deputies and the deputies gave chase. According to deputy statements, as the deputies were chasing the subjects, they gave commands for the suspects to stop, but they did not comply. Deputies lost sight of the suspects briefly, then observed an unidentified male holding what appeared to be a rifle pointed at the deputies. The male was holding the rifle in a shooting stance with the rifle aimed at deputies. RASO Deputy Gabriel Wadt, a two-year veteran of the department, stated he feared the deputies were going to be struck by gunfire and he fired one shot at the male from his department-issued handgun. No one was struck or injured by the gunfire. The male ran away after the shot was fired.
 
Deputies subsequently took cover and waited for additional law enforcement resources to respond. As deputies searched the area, they located a shotgun lying on the ground in the area. The shotgun was taken into evidence and turned over to State Police. Deputies later detained two male subjects who were later released pending the results of the investigation. At this time, no charges have been filed.

Following this incident, RASO contacted the State Police Investigations Bureau to investigate the shooting. At the conclusion of this investigation the case will be forwarded to an assigned district attorney's office for review.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.