Suspect charged with voluntary manslaughter in fatal West Amador Avenue shooting
A 26-year-old man has been charged with voluntary manslaughter after a fatal Tuesday shooting on West Amador Avenue in Las Cruces, police say.
Las Cruces police say 26-year-old man instigated confrontation before shooting 53-year-old victim Tuesday afternoon.
Organ Mountain News report
LAS CRUCES - A man accused of fatally shooting another man Tuesday afternoon on West Amador Avenue has been arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter, Las Cruces police said.
Gino Pina, 26, was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with one felony count of voluntary manslaughter.
Police said officers were dispatched shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, to the 900 block of West Amador Avenue after receiving a report of a confrontation between two men. When officers arrived, they found a 53-year-old man on the ground suffering from at least one gunshot wound.
Organ Mountain News
The victim, identified as Marco Antonio Rodarte, 53, was armed with a knife and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers located Pina nearby, safely disarmed him and took him into custody as part of the investigation.
According to police, evidence gathered during the investigation led detectives to believe Pina taunted and actively instigated the confrontation with Rodarte before firing his handgun.
Pina was booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center, where he is initially being held without bond.
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