commentary by Patrick H. Moore
Although it may come as somewhat of a surprise to innocent Americans (assuming such genteel folk still exist), even our men in blue get in trouble with the law from time to time. In fact, in my 11 plus years doing criminal defense work, I’ve defended half a dozen police officers for various crimes. Never, however, have I (or my company to the best of my knowledge) defended a police officer whose crime came anywhere close to that allegedly committed by a northern New Mexico deputy sheriff who was charged “with an open count of murder” on Tuesday for firing several rounds in the direction of a colleague who was trying to flee an argument. Naturally, that good ol’ life wrecker alcohol fueled this awful, and seemingly avoidable, catastrophe.
Juan Carlos Llorca of the AP writes:
A northern New Mexico sheriff’s deputy was charged with an open count of murder Tuesday after he allegedly fired several rounds from his handgun as his colleague tried to flee an alcohol-fueled argument at a hotel, police said.
Deputy Tai Chan, a warrant officer with Santa Fe County, was being held without bond at the Dona Ana County Detention Center.
The alleged shooter, Tai Chan, 27, and his victim, Deputy Jeremy Martin, 29, had put in a hard day’s work on Monday transporting a prisoner clear to Safford, AZ, approximately 430 miles from their home base in Santa Fe County. A man gets thirsty transporting criminals across the wide open spaces of the American Southwest and the two officers stopped off in Las Cruces in southern New Mexico to have dinner and a few drinks, apparently planning to spend the night there.
Chan and Martin reportedly went restaurant-hopping Monday night and ended up going to three different eating establishments. At the Dublin Street Pub, they knocked a few back and for unknown reasons, “got into a heated argument.”
In a pattern which is reminiscent of what often happens with ordinary couples who get in fights while out in public, the argument escalated once Chan and 
Martin were back at the Hotel Encanto. Although the specifics are still unclear, it is known that witnesses “heard arguing and then several gunshots rang out.”
As Martin tried to flee into an elevator, he was shot in the back and arms, authorities said.
Police arrived at the hotel and found Martin staggering off the elevator with multiple wounds, Las Cruces police spokesman Dan Trujillo said.
Martin was pronounced dead at a Las Cruces hospital. Chan was found (presumably in a state of disrepair) in a stairwell near the hotel’s roof. He reportedly surrendered without incident. “A Glock semi-automatic handgun, believed to be his duty weapon, was found nearby.”
On Tuesday, Las Cruces Police Department personnel collected evidence in the Hotel Encanto’s parking lot “that appeared to be from a deputy’s vehicle.” The authorities are taking this very seriously and reporters were not allowed to approach the scene; in fact, members of the media were ordered off the property.
Unsurprisingly, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department is in a state of shock and disbelief and crisis counselors have been called in to comfort the personnel.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia stated:
“I have grief counselors or crisis counselors here now meeting with a lot of my personnel, but it’s a grieving law enforcement agency.”
The victim, Jeremy Martin, had been a deputy for 2 1/2 years. He had three children, all under the age of 10.
Martin’s widow Sarah did talk to the Albuquerque Journal briefly in a telephone interview. She said that the sheriff came to her home personally early on Tuesday to deliver the bad news.
“He was a self-sacrificing kind of a person and put everyone else first,” she said of her husband. “He was very well-balanced as far as family and career. He had a big heart and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.”
Tai Chan had been on the force for three years.
At an emotional news conference, Garcia called both deputies “hardworking, committed individuals.”
“I’m lost,” Garcia said. “I’m at a loss for words.”
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This tragedy could have been avoided. Easily. We all know the rule: Do not drink and drink. Well, a new rule needs to be added. Do not drink with guns in close proximity. Np matter who you are. Just don’t. It’s stupid just like drinking and driving. There’s nothing to be gained and as this tragic story demonstrates in point-blank fashion: There’s everything to be lost.