Victim remains hospitalized after downtown Las Cruces gunfire that shattered glass

UPDATE, Aug. 4: Las Cruces police said a man shot in the upper leg and hip area over the weekend remained hospitalized Monday with non-life threatening injuries and the shooter was still outstanding.

Meantime, employees of a downtown Las Cruces business said they feel like they literally dodged a bullet after Saturday's late night gunfire; witnesses reported hearing as many as ten shots.

“My first thought was, 'Thank goodness it was a weekend and nobody was here,'" said Amanda Stahl, who works at Matt Madrid's law office on Griggs Avenue near Water Street.

A large round broke the glass of a north window in the office. Stahl believes the bullet struck at an angle, becoming lodged in the west wall of the office.

"If one of our other employees would have been here, it would have definitely given him a haircut," Stahl said on Monday.

ORIGINAL REPORT, Aug. 3: LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- At least one person was injured when multiple gunshots rang out in the heart of downtown Las Cruces late Saturday night, according to witnesses.

The gunfire came shortly before midnight during what was a bustling downtown nightlife scene, with bars and clubs busy as Pride Week drew to a close.

Police cordoned off a large crime scene on Water Street and Griggs Avenue, west of White's Music Box, as a helicopter flew around the area.

"There were seven to ten gunshots and everybody looked at each other to see if it was fireworks or actual gunshots," said Robert Palacios, who was attending a fundraising event at the Amador when the gunfire occurred.

"There was an ambulance and police flying down the road," said Palacios, who captured video in the moments after the gunfire that he provided to ABC-7. "The ambulance had already transported somebody. The officers were marking off the scene and putting down evidence markers."

A spokesman for the Las Cruces Police Department could not immediately provide details about the shooting, but indicated authorities would release further information sometime Sunday.