On July 13, 1988, Sergeant Thomas Arlen Richmond of the Mesilla Marshal’s Office was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop on Snow Road just outside Mesilla, New Mexico. At the time he pulled the vehicle over, he was not aware the occupants were suspects in an armed robbery that had taken place earlier in Las Cruces.

Richmond was 54. A veteran of the National Guard and of law enforcement, he had six years of combined service between the Mesilla Marshal’s Office and the Middletown, New York, Police Department. The suspects were apprehended after the shooting and later convicted. One received a life sentence and the other an eight-year sentence.

He left a wife, a son, and three daughters. His daughter Donna Richmond has worked as an advocate for victims’ rights and to improve support services for victims and families.

If anyone knew Sergeant Richmond, or has information about the events that night, please share what is remembered.