Police: Albuquerque officer shot in traffic stop has died

An ex-convict was charged in the shooting of officer Dan Webster. (AP)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – An Albuquerque police officer shot during a traffic stop last week has died, Albuquerque police said Thursday.

Chief Gorden Eden, Jr. said in a statement that Officer Daniel Webster died at 2:30 a.m. Thursday. He had served on the police force for nearly nine years.

Webster suffered gunshot wounds to his upper body and jaw on the night of Oct. 21 after Davon Lymon, 34, opened fire outside a pharmacy and fled, police said.

Lymon's lengthy criminal history and those of men charged in other recent high-profile cases in New Mexico have led to widespread criticism from law enforcement officials. They are calling on the Legislature to enact sentencing reforms, and increase resources for police and prosecutors in high-crime areas.

In the days following the shooting, Eden described Webster as a high-performing, highly decorated officer who had recently left a detective post to patrol the streets as the force faced an officer shortage.

He underwent multiple surgeries, police said.

Webster had pulled over Lymon for riding a motorcycle with a stolen license plate, and when they found Lymon, he was hiding in a shed with a handcuff on his left wrist. The suspect was hospitalized for injuries he suffered when he was apprehended 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.

Lymon is in federal custody and faces one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to court records. A judge has ordered he remain jailed pending trial.

Lymon's prior criminal record in New Mexico 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.