ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque police officer fought for his life Monday as the ex-convict accused of shooting him made a first appearance in federal court on firearms charges, police said.
Officer Daniel Webster, an eight-year police veteran, was shot Wednesday evening by Davon Lymon and remains in critical condition at University of New Mexico Hospital, according to police.
It remains hour by hour for Webster, said Officer Simon Drobik in a video message.
“We’re checking on his condition constantly,” Drobik said. “We know that his family is with him.”
A federal complaint states Lymon, 34, shot at Webster multiple times outside a pharmacy after being pulled over for riding a motorcycle with a stolen license plate. The suspect was in the process of being handcuffed when he opened fire and fled, police said.
When police found him, he was hiding in a shed with a handcuff on his left wrist, according to the complaint, and he was hospitalized for injuries sustained during his apprehension by a police dog. Authorities also said a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol was found in a vacant lot where Lymon headed after the shooting.
In federal court Monday, Lymon – shackled and with a cast on his left arm – was read his rights by a judge during a brief initial appearance.
His preliminary and detention hearings have been scheduled for Tuesday.
So far, he faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to court records.
His prior criminal record includes voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery charges from 2001. He pleaded guilty to charges in that case, and to fraud and forgery charges from the year before. He also faced aggravated battery and kidnapping charges last year that were dismissed, court records show.
Stephen McCue, an attorney with the Federal Public Defender’s office, declined comment on the case Monday.
