The Latest: Public honours slain New Mexico police officer

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Latest on the public funeral for a Hatch police officer fatally shot during a traffic stop (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

Thousands are honouring Jose Chavez, a Hatch police officer who was shot and killed during a traffic stop.

Law enforcement officers, civilians and New Mexico dignitaries packed the Pan American Center Sunday afternoon in Las Cruces.

Gov. Susana Martinez said that for Chavez, who was born in Juarez, Mexico, obtaining U.S. citizenship was not enough to fulfil his American dream. He insisted on giving back to his community in uniform.

Chavez’s flag-draped coffin arrived in a Navy blue hearse.

Officers and residents lined the 9-mile procession route that began in Hatch.

A father of two, Chavez was a two-year veteran of the Hatch police force. He was shot Aug. 12 and died at an El Paso, Texas, hospital.

Jesse Denver Hanes, of Columbus, Ohio, faces a murder charge in Chavez’s death.

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10:20 a.m.

Thousands are expected to gather to pay their respects to Jose Chavez, a Hatch police officer who authorities say was shot and killed by an Ohio fugitive during a traffic stop in southern New Mexico.

A public funeral for the 33-year-old Chavez is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.

Law enforcement officers from across the region will participate in a procession through Hatch before heading south to Las Cruces.

A father of two, Chavez was a two-year veteran of the Hatch force.

He was shot Aug. 12 and died at an El Paso, Texas, hospital.

Jesse Denver Hanes, of Columbus, Ohio, faces a murder charge in Chavez’s death. Authorities say Hanes also is a suspect in Ohio in the death of a 62-year-old man.