Man killed by LCPD officer had extensive criminal history, court documents state

Las Cruces Police identified the armed man shot and killed after an encounter with a Las Cruces Police officer as 52-year-old Ernesto S. Sedillo.

ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom has learned Sedillo had been arrested at least 14 times. According to jail records, Sedillo was arrested in June for possession of heroin and arrested in March for possession of a controlled substance and aggravated DWI.

Jail officials told ABC-7 Sedillo was in prison in 2014 for aggravated assault and in 2004 for auto burglary and burglary of a dwelling.

The SWAT team was activated after the shooting shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Monday, July 17.

Investigators initially believed Sedillo, armed at the time of the shooting, was a threat and possibly barricaded in the Honda. The SWAT team was unable to get Sedillo to exit the vehicle.

SWAT team officers eventually realized Sedillo was dead in the back seat of a black Honda Accord.

Police said Sedillo was found unresponsive with at least one gunshot wound to his torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No shots were fired by any members of the SWAT team.

It all started when Las Cruces Police were dispatched to a report of a suspicious person, possibly armed with a knife, on the 800 block of Delta Drive, shortly before 11:30 a.m. Monday, July 17.

The first officer to arrive located Sedillo, who matched the description of the suspect, near the Honda parked along Arizona Avenue.

An officer approaching the vehicle noticed Sedillo in the back seat of the Honda, police said. Sedillo leaned out the back window and allegedly pointed a handgun at the officer, who police say, responded by firing multiple rounds.

At that point, the officer retreated and called for backup, police said. The officer did not know if the rounds he fired struck the suspect.

Investigators later found a 9mm handgun and a knife with Sedillo in the back seat of the Honda.

The officer, a four-year veteran of the force, was placed on administrative leave. Police said he was previously a deputy with the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office.

The officer was wearing a lapel camera and it was activated during the incident. The video will not be released until completion of the investigation, police said.