UPDATE: Las Cruces police shooting leaves one dead, another injured

Police say the officer was not injured and has been placed on administrative leave as the multi-agency task force investigates.

Organ Mountain News report

LAS CRUCES - An investigation is ongoing into a Thursday morning shooting involving a Las Cruces police officer that left one man dead and another injured.

The incident occurred about 6:30 a.m. Thursday on the 900 block of Walnut Street. The Las Cruces Police Department said the officer involved was not injured and has been placed on paid administrative leave — standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.

The deceased man has not yet been publicly identified. A second man sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

The Officer-involved Incident Task Force — which includes investigators from New Mexico State Police, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State University Police and the Las Cruces Police Department — is leading the investigation. The task force will submit its findings to the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office for review.

In a written statement, Police Chief Jeremy Story acknowledged the delay in providing further details.

“Due to the unfortunate timing of this incident, and with many of our department members traveling to Washington, D.C., for National Police Week to honor Officer Jonah Hernandez, we will delay having a news conference until after our return,” Story said. “We appreciate the community’s understanding as we balance our commitment to honoring our heroes with our responsibility to provide transparency in this ongoing investigation.”

A news conference is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 20, in Council Chambers at Las Cruces City Hall, 700 N. Main St.

National Police Week runs May 11–17.

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