Warning: This article contains graphic images which some readers may find distressing.
A video has caused significant distress after it showed four New Mexico deputies, including Alejandro Gomez, mishandling a baby rabbit. The footage, which resurfaced in July 2024, captured the deputies during an overnight shift interacting with the rabbit in a troubling manner.
The video depicts the officers passing the rabbit among themselves while others off-camera could be heard laughing. One of the deputies cradled the rabbit, intending to release it back on the ground. It was during this moment that Gomez, 28, used a taser to pressure his colleague into handing him the rabbit.
When questioned about his intentions, Gomez assured his colleague that he wasn’t going to harm the rabbit, despite saying he wouldn’t throw it.
“I won’t throw it,” Gomez insisted, prompting another deputy to seek further assurance by asking: “Swear to God?”
“I can’t do that,” Gomez responded.
As the deputy attempted to leave with the rabbit, Gomez continued to follow, insisting they let him hold the animal.
The colleague eventually relented but warned Gomez, “Don’t f***** kill it.”
Despite this warning, Gomez turned towards the camera, laughed, and then threw the rabbit forcefully against the patrol car.
“Dude…” another man commented after witnessing the impact.
Following the video’s emergence, Gomez was suspended and faced multiple charges, including four counts of assault on a police officer and a single count of extreme animal cruelty in February.
Initially, the other three deputies were not placed on leave; however, after an extensive investigation lasting a year, all involved were dismissed from their positions. Grant County Sheriff Raul Villanueva confirmed the dismissals, even noting that the individual who reported the incident was among those let go, as reported by The New York Post.
While Sheriff Villanueva did not explicitly link the firings to the viral video, he declined to provide further comments on this ‘personal matter’.
An arrest warrant affidavit was submitted to the Silver City Magistrate Court on February 14, detailing that the incident took place on August 16, according to Police1.
The affidavit described that the deputies initially approached the rabbit to move it off the road and, when it failed to relocate itself, a deputy picked it up. This interaction was recorded by a sergeant on their cellphone.
The document further stated that Gomez threw the rabbit with such force that it resulted in fatal injuries, necessitating another deputy to euthanize it by shooting, to prevent further suffering.