Hobbs Officer Cleared In Fatal Shooting of Latino Man

Another investigation has cleared a Hobbs police officer in a fatal shooting early last year. District Attorney Terry Haake's investigation into the shooting death of Francisco Barva, 23, cleared officer Reid Gunter, according to an announcement by the Hobbs Police Department. Haake found that the officer acted in self-defense in January 2005 and that the shooting was justified. It was the fifth report to clear the officer. A report by the Lea County Sheriff's Department found that Gunter was wrestling Barva to the ground when Barva pointed a gun at the officer. The report said the officer drew his gun and fired once, killing Barva. [more]

• The Hobbs Police Force has a History of Racial Discrimination. As a result of a class action lawsuit against the Hobbs Police Department for racial discrimination and police brutality against Black and Latino residents, the Department has been under court order.[more] On June 19, 2004 in an opinion highly critical of the Hobbs Police Department, a federal judge ordered the department to self-monitor its officers' contacts with racial minorities for another year.  [more]