Judge sentences man who ambushed officer to 3 years in prison

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (KVIA) -- The Sunland Park Police Department (SPPD) calls the sentence handed down to Tony Gomez, the man accused of ambushing and shooting Officer Steven Ramirez in 2023, "alarming and unbelievably disappointing."

Gomez accepted a plea agreement that suggested a five to fifteen-and-a-half year sentence, a spokesperson for SPPD says. The department says that Judge Richard M. Jacquez then sentenced Gomez to three years, to be served in 30-day increments and a five-year probation afterward.

SPPD says that Judge Jacquez considered the "potential for financial/familial difficulties" for Gomez's family during the sentencing.

"Officer Steven Ramirez (now honorably retired) and his family were both failed and revictimized by Judge Jacquez," Chief of Police Eric Lopez stated today.

ABC-7 is reaching out to Judge Jacquez's office for comment on the sentencing.