Hatch Police Officer Jose Chavez was killed in the line of duty Friday, and the small community of Hatch is mourning the loss of one of their eight police officers, and working on ways to honor him.
Hatch Residents put up signs, released balloons and doves, and traded stories about Officer Jose Chavez as they waited for the law enforcement procession escorting his body to pass through Hatch.
Residents say they were in shock when they first heard the news.
“It’s been hard,” Lupe Castillo said. “You know it’s a very small, tight-knit community. It’s devastating. It’s just devastating.
“Stuff like this doesn’t happen in a small community like this,” Orlando Gutierrez said. “Especially with the type of criminal that just came through here. You know it’s just a shock to the community.”
“Saddened, it’s been really sad,” Manny Madrid said. “And not just one area, but throughout the whole area. It doesn’t make a difference who you are, or what background you are. You’re going to feel that impact that we all feel at this moment.”
Residents have spent the last few days building memorials in honor of Officer Chavez in the town. Rhonda Cabrales owns a business across from the memorial located at the site of his death, and has seen many people leave balloons, flowers, and notes.
“The most humbling one that I saw,” Cabrales said. “Was a Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office officer got out of his car, and he knelt down and he said a prayer, and he was the only one there. And that was just such a humbling experience for me to see him come out and do that respect for Officer Chavez.”
While people are mourning the loss of Officer Chavez, they say Hatch is a small, tight-knit community that comes together to help those in need.
“Our community comes together over everything and anything,” Cabrales said. “There’s a tragedy, we all ban together, There’s a joyous occasion we all ban together. We are family we don’t have any ill feelings towards each other. If they need us. We are there.”
“We know everybody,” Lupe Castillo said. “It’s not Officer Chavez, It’s Jose, or Officer, it’s not last names you know, it’s a first name basis.”
“Everybody’s like family here,” Orlando Gutierrez said. “I’m also in corrections so I’m part of the blue, and being part of the blue, corrections, police department, FBI, whatever, we all feel it, we all feel it, so we’re taking it hard at the prison where I work at as well, we’re here to support our officer that just passed away.”
Hatch residents say they have already begun raising money for the family of Officer Chavez.
According to the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Department, A public funeral for Officer Chavez is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Pan American Center on the campus of New Mexico State University.
