Court records: Las Cruces teen accused of opening fire after alleged drug-sale encounter
Court records allege an 18-year-old Las Cruces man opened fire on three people after an encounter near an Idaho Avenue gas station. Prosecutors are seeking pretrial detention.
Prosecutors are seeking pretrial detention for 18-year-old Jerimiah Angel Castillo Zubiran after an Aug. 21 shooting near Idaho Avenue and Luna Street left one man wounded
Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News
LAS CRUCES - An 18-year-old accused in last week’s shooting near Idaho Avenue and Luna Street allegedly opened fire on three people after an encounter that began near a gas station, according to court records filed Monday.
Jerimiah Angel Castillo Zubiran is charged with one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence.
One man was shot at least once in the upper body during the Aug. 21 exchange of gunfire. He was taken to MountainView Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Prosecutors are now asking a district judge to keep Castillo jailed while the case is pending, arguing that no conditions of release would reasonably protect other people or the community.
The state also said it intends to take the case to a grand jury.
Encounter began near Idaho Avenue gas station
According to a statement of probable cause and the state’s detention motion, three people were walking east on Idaho Avenue when they passed the Shell gas station near Solano Drive.
Witnesses told investigators that two younger men in a white car approached them. One witness said the men offered to sell them drugs.
The three continued walking, according to court records.
When they reached Luna Street and Idaho Avenue, investigators said the same white car pulled up and stopped abruptly.
Witnesses told police the driver got out, began yelling and then pulled a handgun from around his waistband.
Prosecutors allege Castillo was the driver.
According to the detention motion, Castillo then began firing toward the three people.
One of them had a .40-caliber Glock 22 in a bag. Court records say the man who was ultimately wounded grabbed the gun and fired back after Castillo allegedly began shooting.
The other two people ran for cover. Investigators said dash-camera footage from a passing vehicle showed one person running away as shots were fired and another jumping a wall for protection.
Police recovered spent casings from both a .40-caliber firearm and a 9mm firearm at the scene, according to court records reviewed by Organ Mountain News.
Castillo later approached police
Investigators later located the white Kia Forte believed to have been involved in the shooting at 3815 S. Main St.
While officers were examining the vehicle, Castillo approached them and said he wanted to turn himself in for his involvement in the shooting, according to the probable cause statement.
Police said Castillo admitted firing a gun but told investigators another person had pointed a firearm at him first.
He declined to provide additional details and would not tell investigators where the gun he allegedly used could be found, according to court records.
Police said surveillance imagery from the Shell station showed a person driving the Kia who matched Castillo, including a red hat later found inside the vehicle.
The Kia also had multiple impacts consistent with gunfire.
Castillo is charged with aggravated battery for allegedly shooting the wounded man and two counts of aggravated assault for allegedly firing toward the other two people.
The tampering charge alleges he hid or disposed of the handgun used in the shooting.
Pretrial assessment recommended release
A Public Safety Assessment completed Aug. 22 recommended Castillo be released on his own recognizance.
The assessment listed no prior misdemeanor or felony convictions, no prior violent convictions, no prior failures to appear and no previous sentence of incarceration.
But prosecutors filed an expedited motion for pretrial detention two days later.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Heather Chavez argued that the allegations themselves show Castillo poses a danger to the community.
Under New Mexico law, prosecutors must prove by clear and convincing evidence both that a defendant poses a danger if released and that no release conditions could reasonably protect other people or the community.
A magistrate judge separately found probable cause to support all four charges following Castillo’s arrest.
The detention motion does not itself determine whether Castillo will remain jailed pending trial. That question will be decided after a hearing in district court.
Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.
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