LAS CRUCES — A former Las Cruces police officer was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter Thursday in the 2023 shooting death of a woman who struck him with her open car door as she backed up and tried to leave.

Jurors deliberated for a couple of hours before returning the verdict in case of Felipe Hernandez, who was fired from the Las Cruces Police Department in 2024 after charges were filed in the death of 45-year-old Teresa Gomez.

Prosecutors had asked jurors to find Hernandez guilty of second-degree murder, saying the evidence showed the shooting was unjustified. District Attorney Fernando Macias said in a statement he firmly believed prosecutors presented evidence to support that charge but that he respected the deliberation process and the results.

It was unclear if defense attor

See Full Page