Details emerge in fatal deputy shooting during Tortugas house fire
Sheriff Kim Stewart released new details Thursday about the Feb. 17 shooting in the Tortugas area, where authorities say Dylan Leonard was shot and killed after emerging with a knife during a structure fire response.
Sheriff says man armed with knife advanced on deputy after refusing to leave burning home on Watson Lane
Organ Mountain News report
LAS CRUCES - New details have emerged about a fatal deputy shooting earlier this week in the Tortugas area, where authorities say a man armed with a knife was shot and killed after refusing to leave a burning home.
Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart provided an updated timeline during a Thursday news conference, outlining the events that led to the Tuesday night shooting on the 600 block of Watson Lane.
According to Stewart, Doña Ana Fire Rescue, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and the Mesilla Marshals Office responded just before 8 p.m. Tuesday to a structure fire at a single-family residence. The home had multiple points of entry and access, and firefighters began working to extinguish the blaze.
Investigators later determined the fire had been intentionally set in multiple locations on the property, Stewart said.
While crews were battling the fire, they encountered an adult male inside the residence, later identified as Dylan Leonard. Firefighters asked Leonard to leave due to the active fire, but he refused, according to the sheriff.
Firefighters then notified deputies, who attempted to communicate with Leonard through the door and repeatedly requested that he exit the structure. He continued to refuse despite the ongoing fire response, Stewart said.
With conditions inside the home becoming increasingly dangerous, deputies moved to remove Leonard from the residence.
At approximately 8:34 p.m., Leonard suddenly emerged from one of the home’s access points holding a knife and advancing toward a deputy, according to the sheriff. A Doña Ana County sheriff’s deputy and a Mesilla Marshal at the scene then fired their weapons.
Leonard was struck by gunfire. Deputies attempted to render medical aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
One deputy sustained a minor injury during the incident and was treated and released from a local hospital.
The Officer-Involved Shooting Task Force was activated immediately after the shooting. The deputies who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
The task force — which includes investigators from the Las Cruces Police Department, Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and New Mexico State University Police — is leading the investigation. Once complete, the findings will be forwarded to the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office for review.
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