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Bloomfield police release name of man who shot officer
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Bloomfield police officers broke a car window, attempting to arrest a driver who refused to get out after a traffic stop, when the driver opened fire, hitting one of the officers.
Officer Timothy Ontiveros, 32, remains in critical condition at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque after being shot by Dennis Armenta, 58, of Bloomfield. It is unclear where Ontiveros was hit. A second officer at the scene returned fire, killing Armenta.
The Bloomfield Police Department on Wednesday provided more details on the shooting that happened around 11 p.m. Monday.
Armenta was stopped for a traffic violation but refused to roll down his window or provide identification to Ontiveros, Police Chief Phillip Francisco said in a news release. “After over eight minutes of negotiation, Mr. Armenta continued to refuse to comply. Officers decided to arrest him for concealing his identity,” he said.
Armenta was inside his locked car with the windows up, prompting officers to break a window to take him into custody. At that point, Armenta opened fire with a handgun, “hitting Ontiveros and narrowly missing a second officer at the scene,” Francisco said.
The second officer’s name will not be released until the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office completes its investigation, police said.
Ontiveros, a former Farmington police officer, has been with the Bloomfield Police Department since December and is also a volunteer Aztec firefighter.
