Man charged with first-degree murder in 2024 Las Cruces shooting

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KVIA) -- On Wednesday, authorities arrested and charged a 31-year-old man with first-degree murder after a 2024 shooting in Las Cruces.

Luis Molina Vides is accused of Octavio Villa's murder. Documents said Vides shot the victim after accusing him of stealing his scooter and BB guns.

A Las Cruces Police Department Officer did a follow-up investigation into a shooting that happened in May 2024. It happened on East May Avenue in Las Cruces.

During the follow-up investigation, the officer met with Villa, who was in critical but stable condition at an El Paso hospital.

Villa said he walked on the avenue when two people holding guns walked up to him, documents said. They allegedly pointed the guns at him.

Out of fear, Villa ran away, investigators wrote. He told the officer he heard gunshots but kept running until he fell to the ground.

LCPD received a call about the fired shots. When officers arrived, they found Villa with a gunshot wound to his lower back, documents said. He was sent to an El Paso hospital for treatment.

At the scene, officers found spent bullet casings and a duffle bag with two BB funs, documents said.

During a separate investigation, Vides became a possible suspect when LCPD recovered a handgun believed to belong to him, documents said. During this investigation, Vides allegedly threatened a man whom police later interviewed. He allegedly said he would harm the man the same way he did to Villa.

Documents said Vides matched the description Villa gave officers about the suspected shooter.

Villa's condition worsened from the day of the shooting, May 2, 2024, to June, documents said. He died to his injuries on June 17, 2024.

A week before Villa died, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations arrested Vides on federal charges. An LCPD officer interviewed him at the Dona Ana County Detention Center.

Vides allegedly said he was angry at Villa because he stole a scooter and BB guns that belonged to him. He found Villa on San Pedro Street near Downtown Las Cruces, documents said.

The encounter turned into an angry confrontation about the allegedly stolen property, documents said. Vides allegedly admitted to pointing a handgun at Villa and shot three times.

Vides said he didn't believe he shot the victim because he ran away, documents said.

The officer interviewed a man who allegedly said he gave Vides a ride to the area where the shooting happened. Vides later called the man and said he shot Villa, documents said.

The man gave LCPD a handgun that Vides left in his truck, documents said. Forensic testing showed the gun possibly matched the spent casings found at the scene of the shooting.

Court documents said Vides was in custody in California in October of this year. Wednesday, the Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office arrested him at the El Paso County Jail and booked him into the Dona Ana County Detention Center without bond.