The video below contains footage of a gunfire exchange that resulted in the tragic death of an officer. As such, be advised that this footage may be upsetting to some viewers.
The decision to run news like the below is not one we take lightly, and we do so because we believe it has value to our law enforcement audience in capturing the sort of situation law enforcers hope never to face. We feel it is important even as it is difficult to observe.
The death of a police officer is felt by the entire LE community and can take a heavy toll. Take a look at our articles on how critical incident stress debriefing teams help cops in crisis, 6 proactive steps to maintaining officers’ mental health and coping with line-of-duty death in law enforcement.
By Police1 Staff
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — Police released footage Thursday of a September gun battle that left an officer and a suspect dead.
Officers Clint Corvinus and Christopher Welch were on patrol when they encountered wanted fugitive Joseph Moreno, KOAT reported.
The footage is taken from Welch’s body camera.
Moreno fled when the officers approached, leading them on a foot pursuit.
Investigators said Moreno pulled out a .357 Magnum from his bag and aimed it at the officers.
Welch then shot Moreno, striking him in the hip and wounding him. While on the ground, Moreno fired five shots toward Corvinus and Welch, striking Corvinus once.
Moreno continued to flee. Welch fired six more shots and struck him in the head, killing him.
Corvinus died on the way to the hospital, according to the news station.
Investigators said Moreno’s gun was stolen and he had marijuana and methamphetamine in his system.
Prosecutors found Welch to be justified in the shooting and said he handled the situation professionally.
Corvinus, 33, was a four and a half veteran of the Alamogordo Police Department. He is survived by his girlfriend and his 8-year-old daughter.