A video recorded on a rural road in New Mexico has triggered outrage, criminal charges, and the dismissal of four sheriff’s deputies. The footage shows former Grant County Deputy Alejandro Gomez hurling a baby rabbit into the side of a patrol vehicle, killing the animal.

A deputy in New Mexico killed a baby rabbit during an overnight shift.

The Incident on a Dirt Road

The event occurred during an overnight shift near Hachita. Deputies stopped when they spotted a small rabbit on the road. According to  the Daily Mail and court documents, one deputy attempted to move the animal to safety when Gomez demanded to hold it, . His colleagues resisted, fearing for the rabbit’s welfare.

“You’re going to f***ing kill it,” one deputy allegedly said.

Court documents reveal Gomez escalated the situation by pointing a Taser at his fellow deputy, forcing him to hand over the rabbit. Gomez swore he would not harm the animal, according to UNILAD, but moments later, he smiled for the camera and flung the rabbit with such force that it hit the patrol car with an audible thud. Another deputy, seeing the injuries, shot the rabbit to end its suffering, the affidavit stated

The rabbit died from the impact against the patrol vehicle.

A Pattern of Threatening Behavior

The rabbit’s death was not an isolated display of aggression. Court records reported on by Police1 show Gomez had previously threatened the same deputy, once pointing a Taser at him during a separate altercation. Later, on the same night as the rabbit killing, Gomez allegedly pointed his gun at the deputy, claiming he was testing his mounted light.

New Mexico State Police confirmed that Gomez was charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon upon a peace officer and one count of extreme cruelty to animals, a fourth-degree felony.

Photo: YouTube / Albuquerque Journal

Another deputy shot the rabbit to prevent further suffering.

The Fallout Inside the Sheriff’s Office

Initially, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office took little action despite a deputy filing a report. According to the Albuquerque Journal, little to no internal discipline followed. Only after state police were alerted were criminal charges filed.

The case gained momentum when the disturbing video surfaced on social media, drawing widespread condemnation. Tens of thousands viewed the footage, demanding accountability.

Sheriff Raul Villanueva confirmed to KOAT that four deputies involved in the incident, including the one who tried to stop Gomez and reported him, were fired in August 2025. Villanueva described the dismissals as a personnel matter and declined to say whether the firings were directly tied to the viral video.

Public Outrage and Questions of Accountability

The incident has ignited anger far beyond Grant County. For animal advocates, the death of the rabbit highlighted a troubling culture where cruelty could unfold among law enforcement officers without immediate consequences.

The Daily Mail noted that Gomez’s attorney has downplayed the case, saying, “We don’t think he did anything wrong, obviously.”

For many observers, that defense only deepened concerns about accountability within the justice system.

A Broken Trust

What began as an encounter with a fragile wild animal has ended in disgrace for four deputies and a felony case against one of them. For residents and animal advocates, the image of a baby rabbit’s life taken in such a callous act has become symbolic of deeper failures.

As the case proceeds through the courts, questions remain: why was one deputy’s early report ignored, and why did it take a viral video to force accountability? For now, one life lost has left lasting damage to public trust in those sworn to protect.