RIO RANCHO, N.M. – A police officer in a suburb of Albuquerque was shot and killed during a traffic stop, the first time a Rio Rancho officer was fatally shot in the line of duty in the department’s 34-year history.

Officer Gregg Benner, 49, a military veteran who had been with the Rio Rancho Police Department for four years, was gunned down while pulling over a vehicle shortly after 8 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

Rio Rancho Mayor Greggory Hull said the tight-knit city was mourning Benner’s death.

“Our police officers hold a special place in our hearts as they lay their lives on the line every day protecting our safety, and this is a stark reminder of their sacrifice,” Hull said in a statement.

A person believed to be involved in the shooting was taken into custody in the Albuquerque area early Tuesday, but authorities were still searching for another suspect.

Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Aaron Williamson said several agencies helped with the apprehension about 20 miles from where the officer was shot on a side road off a busy street.

Other details on the suspects were not immediately available.

At the shooting scene Tuesday, a maze of yellow crime-scene tape cordoned off the area between a library and post office. A makeshift memorial of flowers began to take shape by midday as investigators worked to unravel the events that led to the shooting. Dozens of small cones placed throughout the crime scene marked pieces of potential evidence.