Good Guy with a Gun #103: Las Cruces, NM

Original incident: February 11, 2024. Sometimes, even doing everything you can isn't enough.

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This is a hard one to write. I’ll let you know up front that the police officer dies.

Police officer Jonah Hernandez, his wife, and their two children.

29-year-old Armando “A.J.” Silva had a fairly extensive history of lawbreaking, including marijuana and meth possession, kidnapping, and aggravated battery. His mother said he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in early adulthood and had recently gone off his meds.

The police say he was homeless; his family says they were paying for an apartment. I don’t know what’s true for sure, but I note that one can have a place to stay and yet not stay in it.

And so it was that Silva was trespassing on private property one afternoon, a little before 5:00 PM. He had been there the day before, too, and the property owner had called police.

Las Cruces Police Officer Jonah Hernandez responded to the call.

He approached Silva in a congenial way. When Hernandez got in range, Silva drew a large knife and rushed him, stabbing him repeatedly.

Police Chief Jeremy Story showed the body cam footage at a press conference. He said he wouldn’t have done it if he had had a choice. I don’t blame him; it’s horrifying. I’ll link to it, but I won’t embed it: Watch at your own risk. The attack starts at the six-minute mark of this press conference.

Next time some idiot starts blathering about how cops should shoot people in the leg, or only use tasers, or in some other way be less lethal, link that video. Remind them that Hernandez had a wife and two young boys.

A 29-year-old man apparently witnessed the attack. He was with his girlfriend. He grabbed his gun from his car and told Silva to stop. Silva charged him, and he fired three shots. Silva wasn’t fully down, and after another warning, he fired the fourth and final shot.

He went to assist Hernandez, to no avail. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died from his injuries. He was the first officer killed in the line of duty in Las Cruces’s almost 100-year history.

The Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office didn’t pursue charges.

The defender asked for privacy on Facebook, so we won’t name him here. Yes, you can see it plainly in the video below, but I don’t see a need to provide Google with another location where his name pops up.

He made a statement through his attorney, which is read by Chief Story here.

Silva’s mother, Xochitl Hernandez, talked to the press. She also posted publicly on Facebook. An Aunt, Virginia Lerma, did as well. They didn’t excuse what he did, exactly, but they naturally focused on his schizophrenia as a core issue.

Flags flew at half-staff throughout the state for several days, and Officer Hernandez’s remains were carried to rest with an extensive police escort.

Las Cruces PD created Operation Not In Vain to target violent crime and frequent offenders. Here’s a YouTube link to Chief Story’s overview and the Las Cruces Sun News discussing what changes had taken place in the year following Hernandez’s death.

While the defender heals and the community mourns, Armando Silva will never harm another soul again.

Sources

Of the sources I haven’t linked directly above, you can find several articles from KFOX 14: Initial report, reactions from other officers and the public, and follow-up to discuss Silva’s past; CBS 4 initial coverage and Silva’s criminal history; KTSM News (YouTube link); KOAT 7; KTSM; and Las Cruces Sun News, among others.

If you’re interested, here are YouTube links to Officer Jonah Hernandez’s memorial service and a candlelight vigil held in his honor.