PREWITT, N.M. –
The New Mexico State Police were involved in a shooting near Prewitt on April 16. The shooting left one man, who was a suspect in an alleged murder just days earlier in North Carolina, dead. Officer Newman was placed on leave, a standard practice anytime an officer involved shooting occurs.
The shooting led to a temporary closure of Interstate 40 near Prewitt, N.M., and saw heavy traffic on Route 66. This situation remains under investigation by New Mexico State Police, details are still coming as NMSP works to further understand the shooting.
The Shooting
and Arrest
At 11:56 a.m., just before noon, New Mexico State Police officer Corey Newman, a four-year member of NMSP, was dispatched to I-40, Milepost 64, to conduct a welfare check on the driver of a brown BMW passenger car. As Officer Newman approached the vehicle, the driver, identified as 26- year-old Oliver Ashley Toledo Saldivar of North Carolina, stepped out of the BMW.
Officer Newman cautioned Saldivar to step to the side and wait by his police cruiser. As Saldivar stepped closer to the police cruiser, he began to pull a black in color object from his jacket; Newman drew his weapon and created distance from Saldivar. Despite the distance, Saldivar charged at Officer Newman and tackled him to the ground.
At some point during the attack, Officer Newman discharged at least one shot from his policeissued firearm, sriking Saldivar. This did not end the fight, however, as Saldivar continued to struggle.
Saldivar continued to go for Officer Newman’s firearm, allegedly biting him on the back of the arm. With this distraction, Saldivar was able to retrieve the black item from his jacket, it was an unidentified gun.
Saldivar continued the struggle, attempting to chamber a round in the firearm so it could be fired. Officer Newman refused to let Saldivar do this, and was successful in getting the gun tossed far to the side.
A semi-truck driver noticed the altercation and pulled off to the side, going to assist the officer. According to NMSP Public Information Officer Ray Wilson, the good Samaritan truck driver noticed Saldivar’s gun and threw it much further out of reach, the truck driver then assisted Officer Newman in taking Saldivar into custody.
Officer Newman then called for an ambulance to render medical aide to Saldivar, but it was too late. The Office of the Medical Investigator declared Saldivar dead on the scene as a result of the gunshot wound.
NMSP officers investigate but do not make judgement when their agents become involved in shootings. After all of the facts have been discovered in the shooting investigation, all relevant information is turned over to the appropriate district attorney, who then determines if charges shall be brought against the officer in question. This shooting remains under investigation.
April 18
1,810 miles outside of Grants, New Mexico, rests the City of Durham, North Carolina. Durham is home to 326,126 people and has many of the same water infrastructure issues as Grants.
On April 18, Oliver Ashley Toledo Saldivar allegedly shot at least one woman, Karla Yadira Jaramillo Noyola in front of her children.
Jaramillo Noyola lived on the 500 block of W. Carver Street in Durham, N.C. the night of April 18 saw two shootings in the neighborhood. An unidentified teenage boy was released from the hospital in connection with the second shooting, Durham Police Department has not said if these shootings are connected.
DPD has released minimal information on the Saldivar’s alleged shooting, the Cibola Citizen has public information requests in with DPD that were not filled by press time.
Saldivar was allegedly trying to flee from Durham, N.C., when he took a moment to try and rest off of Interstate 40 near Prewitt, N.M., and lost his life.