FARMINGTON – The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico announced in a Facebook post that a deputy died while on duty Thursday.
The post, which went up at 8:30 a.m. Friday, says the death was not duty related and was an “isolated incident.” It went on to say the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t release information about those types of incidents.
A spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office said in an email that “due to the wishes of an individual, we will not be putting anything out to the public at all.”
The Farmington Police Department investigated the incident. The agency has not yet responded to a request for public records related to the incident.
“We live in a tightly knitted community that supports law enforcement and cares for us, as we care for you,” Sheriff Shane Ferrari said in the post. “I ask during this time you respect our deputy’s family’s privacy as they mourn.”
In a later post that day, the Sheriff’s Office shared information for those who want to donate to the family of the deputy.
“The money will be collected through a local nonprofit, Guardian Initiatives, and 100% of the donations will go to the family,” the post said.
For more information about donating, visit https://bit.ly/2P1VXX7.
This is a developing story.
mmitchell@durangoherald.com