Man killed in Las Cruces shootout that wounds 2 officers and a deputy
A man was killed early Monday in a shootout in Las Cruces that also left three law enforcement officers injured, authorities said.
Two Las Cruces Police officers and one Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office deputy suffered minor, non-life threatening injuries, according to LCPD police spokesman Danny Trujillo.
At 3 p.m., Trujillo confirmed to ABC-7 that the law enforcement officers were treated and released from the hospital.
The man killed has not been identified, but he is believed to have attempted to carjack a delivery driver near the Home Depot store at 225 N. Telshor Blvd., according to police.
A local business owner later reported seeing that same man walking around 2:30 a.m. near Lohman Avenue and Nacho Drive. Police said a responding officer shined his vehicle spotlight onto the man — who fired multiple times at the officer through his windshield before fleeing on foot.
One of the bullets struck the officer, who then drove himself to a nearby hospital.
Trujillo said state, local and federal agencies responded to the report that an officer had been shot and injured, and helped in the search for the suspect.
During a confrontation, authorities said they tried firing non-lethal munitions at the man, but those were ineffective. The man and officers then traded gunfire, injuring a second officer and the deputy, officials said.
In a statement, the U.S. Border Patrol said its agents fired at the man and struck him after he shot at authorities. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police expected most of the nearby businesses near the shootout scene – including Home Depot, Target, Albertson’s, Office Max and Starbucks — to be closed for at least part of the day as authorities investigate.