‘We will find you:’ Marion County man target of sweeping New Mexico manhunt after officer’s death

Adam Benson
·3 min read
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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A sprawling manhunt continued on Saturday along Interstate 40 in New Mexico as authorities look for a Marion County man blamed for shooting a police officer who later died.

“Jaremy Smith, we are coming for you,” New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler said at Saturday afternoon news conference where officials offered more details into the circumstances around the roadside shooting of Officer Justin Hare.

Smith, 32, is also a person of interest in the death of a Phonesia Machado-Fore, a Marion County paramedic whose body was discovered Friday in neighboring Dillon County.

Smith, who Weisler said has ties to the Albuquerque area, was driving Machado-Fore’s white BMW when he shot Hare early Friday morning.

Hare was sent to the scene near mile marker 312 around 5 a.m. for reports of a motorist with a flat tire.

Weisler said Hare parked behind the disabled BMW and offered the suspect a ride into town.

“Then, without warning, the suspect pulled out a firearm and shot Officer Hare. The suspect then walked to the driver’s side and shot Officer Hare again, and then he pushed Officer Hare into the passenger seat and drove away in Officer Hare’s patrol unit, which was abandoned a short time later,” Weisler said.

Weisler said Smith then put Hare in the passenger side of his patrol car and took off a “high rate of speed” along a frontage road.

A distress beacon was activated at some point, sending other officers to his aid.

Weisler said Smith crashed the patrol car about 14 miles away near mile marker 304. Hare’s body was found at mile marker 312. He was transported to a nearby hospital and later died from gunshot wounds at 7:12 a.m. on Friday.

“On a cold, dark and windy morning, he offered help to a person he thought was in need. That person killed him in cold blood,” an emotional Weisler said.

Authorities said Smith has a long history of violence in South Carolina, including charges of:

  • taking hostages and rioting in jail

  • burglary

  • breaking and entering

  • armed robbery

  • resisting arrest

  • evading police officers

  • auto theft

  • shooting at or from a motor vehicle

New Mexico Department of Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Jason R. Bowie issued a warning for anyone trying to shelter Smith.

“To anyone who has information, we ask them to come forward and do the right thing, now is the time to do that. Because here on forth, for anyone who is found aiding or harboring Jeramy Smith, we will also charge them and prosecute them to the fullest extent, and you can be sure of that,” he said.

Bowie said New Mexico authorities have been in “regular communication” with South Carolina law enforcement.

“Jaremy Smith is … just a violent person with a long criminal history that obviously has no regard for anyone he comes in contact with. We have victims in South Carolina and of course we have a victim in our very own state.”

Anyone with information on Smith’s whereabouts is asked to call New Mexico State Police at (505) 425-6771.

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.

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