The young man refused to comply.
And in the next few seconds, both their lives changed forever.
The man quickly walked toward my fiancé and drew what appeared to be a firearm.
Jacob’s training kicked in. He fired his service weapon.
The man fell to the ground, but he continued to reach for his weapon– ignoring Jacob’s commands to show his hands and stop reaching for the gun.
Jacob fired additional shots, killing the armed man.
We later learned that the man’s weapon was an airsoft gun.
My heart broke for the young man’s family. But I also thanked God for protecting my fiancé that night. It easily could have been his life lost on that median.
The New Mexico State Police launched an in-depth investigation into Jacob’s actions.
I knew without a doubt the shooting was justified. After all, the suspect drew a firearm on an officer and would not back down.
So, we were relieved – but not surprised – when the State Police cleared Jacob of any wrongdoing and reinstated him on the force in September.
That should have been the end of this story...
But out of nowhere, an anti-police prosecutor filed First-Degree Murder charges against Jacob.
Now my fiancé faces life in prison for doing his job and defending himself in the line of duty.
And I’m swallowing my pride and reaching out to you, a perfect stranger, for help.
You see, this has long been one of my biggest fears. Political prosecutions of police officers is at an all-time high right now and New Mexico is not a police-friendly state.
But I still can’t believe this is happening to my fiancé.
We’re in our 20s. We have our entire lives ahead of us. Now all our hopes and dreams may be destroyed by an anti-cop prosecutor with an ax to grind against law enforcement.
So, instead of saving for a wedding and our future together, Jacob and I scraped together enough money to hire an attorney.
But fighting First-Degree Murder charges will cost upwards of $200,000.
That’s money we just don’t have.
Every day I prayed. I asked God to make this nightmare go away… for the prosecutor to drop the charges… or to show us a way to pay for Jacob’s defense.
My desperate prayers were answered when we received a phone call from Jason Johnson, the President of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF).
The LELDF Board of Directors reviewed the facts of the case and they are confident that Jacob is innocent – so they’ve offered to fund his defense.
God heard my prayers.
For the first time in months, I am hopeful for our future – that Jacob may not spend the rest of his life behind bars after all.
Not just because LELDF is making sure Jacob gets the defense he deserves, but because LELDF’s Directors are the leading experts on policing and “use of force” in the nation – folks like Ronald Reagan’s Attorney General Ed Meese and former Assistant Director of the FBI Ron Hosko.
With over 30 years of helping wrongly accused officers clear their names, LELDF’s support carries weight. (And the prosecution knows this!)
But we still have a lot of work to do. LELDF doesn’t receive taxpayer funding and grants and large gifts are few and far between.
Instead, LELDF relies on kind-hearted strangers who respect our men and women in blue and want to help cops like Jacob who are being railroaded by progressive prosecutors.
Folks, I hope, like you.
This isn’t easy for me so I’m just going to come out and ask…
Will you help LELDF fight for my fiancé by making a tax-deductible donation of $35, $50, $100, or more today?
No matter how much you’re able to help, your donation will be put to immediate use helping LELDF support wrongly accused officers like Jacob.
I don’t think I have to tell you it’s a terrible time to be a cop in America. It’s all over the news.
Not only are ambush attacks up, but anti-police prosecutors – often bought and paid for by radical billionaire George Soros – are going after innocent officers at an alarming rate.
Even when the facts clearly show the cop did his job by the book and a previous investigation cleared him!
Still, officers like Jacob show up every day – put on the badge and put their lives in danger to protect their communities.
That’s why I’m asking you to stand with me today and help LELDF support my fiancé.
Your generous donation will make a difference when it comes to the bills. And if you’re a God-fearing person like me, will you please pray for Jacob and our family?
Just knowing we aren’t alone means the world to us as we face down this nightmare.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.