Dominic De La O, the suspect in the shooting death of Alamogordo police officer Anthony Ferguson, will be held in custody pending his trial, according to NEW MEXICO (KRQE). De La O appeared in Otero County Court on Monday morning, where a judge granted the state’s plea to hold him in jail until his trial.
De La O is charged with killing Officer Anthony Ferguson on July 15 following a pursuit. Investigators claim that De La O shot Anthony Ferguson in the face as he was pursuing Anthony Ferguson.
“Officer Anthony Ferguson had stopped his patrol vehicle and gave foot chase to a male subject wearing a blue shirt. At some point that male subject turned his body and discharged a firearm, striking Officer Anthony Ferguson in the face,” according to New Mexico State Police Officer Keith Hanker.
De La O must be held in custody pending his trial, the state said, because his criminal background demonstrates that he poses a threat to the public after shooting and killing Anthony Ferguson. After being charged with DWI and aggravated escape in January 2022, he was again detained in August 2022 for breaking his release conditions. He was then hurt in a different police shot in January 2023.
However, de la O’s defense did not refute those assertions; instead, it merely urged the judge to ensure that the state had made sufficient claims of danger to warrant de la o’s detention.
Anthony Ferguson’s family members are still hoping for justice for their late family member.
A tentative trial date has been set for November 2024.