Socorro police shoot burglary suspect after he torches stolen truck
Socorro police shot a burglary suspect who had set fire to a stolen truck, according to newly released body camera video of the December incident. The suspect, 32-year-old Richard Zamora, survived the shooting and is being held in jail pending trial, court records show.
Zamora is accused of burglarizing a horse farm near Veguita earlier in the day on Saturday, December 5. New Mexico State Police believe Zamora stole the truck from the burglary victim’s property, according to the video.
Around 2:13 p.m., Socorro County deputies tried to stop the truck. When Zamora drove off, two deputies chased him south of Socorro along I-25, the video shows.
The truck became stuck in loose dirt in an arroyo under I-25. With guns and tasers drawn, video shows the deputies tried to take him into custody. At one point, Zamora shouted, “Come on! Kill me!”
Video shows Zamora threw rocks and other objects at the deputies, hitting one in the leg. The deputies tried to use an electronic control weapon on Zamora but ran when they saw a weapon pointed at them. Officers later determined the weapon was a BB gun once Zamora was in custody.
Video shows New Mexico State Police Sergeant Amando Reyes-Llamas shot Zamora once in the chest after Zamora set fire to the stolen truck and refused to drop a gun, according to police.
No officers were seriously hurt. Zamora is facing more than a dozen charges, including burglary, car theft, and several counts of assaulting a peace officer.
