By Joanna Putman
Police1
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — A retired officer died Aug. 14 due to injuries sustained in the line of duty in 1984, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Patrolman James M. Sides was wounded by gunfire when he and two other officers were responding to a trespassing call. When the officers approached the home, a person came out of the front door firing a weapon at officers, according to the report.
Sides was shot in the head and broke his leg when he fell. The shooter was later killed by police after barricading himself in a backyard.
Sides underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove a bullet from his temple, but his brain injury still forced him to retire. His death is attributed to that wound.
Sides had served with the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety, now named the Alamogordo Police Department, for three years. He previously served with the New Mexico State Police for five years and the Hildago County Sheriff’s Office for one year, according to the report. He is survived by his wife and two children.
