Woman shot during domestic incident; shooter killed self, deputies say
Investigators with the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office say a 58-year-old man shot his live-in girlfriend, then turned the gun on himself.
It happened Wednesday morning in the 4700 block of Elks, just north of Las Cruces. A 911 call from inside the home alerted Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies.
The caller, the couple’s 14-year-old daughter, said her parents had been fighting since the previous night and that her father had shot her mother.
Deputies who arrived at the scene were able to escort the child and mother to safety. The woman was reportedly shot three times and was transported to a Las Cruces-area hospital with serious injuries, officials with the sheriff’s office said.
Initial attempts to make contact with the suspect were unsuccessful. Detectives obtained a search warrant and entered the home just after 10 a.m. Upon entering the home, deputies learned the shooter suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
As a result of the shooting, two schools in the area – Columbia Elementary and Vista Middle School – were instructed to shelter in place as a precaution. The order was lifted at approximately 11:30 a.m.
