Update: Las Cruces Police Say Man With Sword May Have Wanted Suicide By Cop

Update: The Las Cruces Police Department and a multi-agency task force have identified the 23-year-old man who was shot by Las Cruces Police on Tuesday. His name is Lance G. Hummell. Hummell resided at the Mesilla Manor

The preliminary investigation has revealed that Tuesday’s incident may be the fulfillment of what’s commonly referred as a ‘suicide by cop’ scenario.

Detectives learned that Hummell is the one who originated the call to 911 declaring that a man was walking around the apartment complex waving a long sword. Detectives have recovered additional information that leads them to believe Hummell was suicidal and wanted to provoke officers into using lethal force.

The Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office filed a report on Jan. 9, 2010, after Hummell was involved in a verbal argument with a household member while holding what was described as a long sword.

Just two days later, on Jan. 11, Hummell was transported to an area hospital after it was determined that he was contemplating suicide. Twice in February Las Cruces Police had contact with Hummell because of arguments he was having with a household member. And on June 15 police spoke with him after a domestic disturbance was reported at his residence.

The Tuesday, July 13, incident was the sixth time this year that police or sheriff’s deputies responded to an incident involving Hummell.

The joint Officer-Involved Incident Task Force includes investigators from New Mexico State Police, the Las Cruces Police Department, the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico State University Police Department. Upon completion of the investigation, the findings are forwarded to the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office for review.

According to Las Cruces Police, suicide by cop has increased and has been studied since the late 1980’s. Suicide by cop is a method in which a suicidal individual deliberately acts in a threatening way toward law enforcement in an attempt to provoke lethal force. One particular study, reported in the publication “Science Daily,” found that 36 percent of all police-involved shootings in North America can be attributed to suicide by cop.

Read Tuesday’s story, with more details on the shooting incident, below.

Original Story:

A 23-year-old man was shot and killed by Las Cruces Police this morning after the man was allegedly wielding a 4-foot sword.

Police said they were called to an apartment complex at the intersection of Alamo and Boutz at 8:30 a.m. where the man was seen carrying a long sword and waving it in a hostile manner.

The preliminary investigation reveals that two Las Cruces Police officers arrived on scene and located the man in the northwest parking lot of the apartment complex. Police said the man aggressively closed distance on the officers, threatening them with a sword that measured 4-feet long.

One of the officers, a seven-year veteran of the Las Cruces Police Department, fired his gun and struck the suspect at least once. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses who live in the area said they heard what sounded like multiple gunshots.

“I heard three shots – bap, bap, bap – and they kicked the sword away,” Richard Carter said. “And when they did, the (police officer) with the assault rifle said ‘if you move, I’ll kill you.'”

Leopold Gonzalez, another witness, said he questions the shooting.

“If he’s not lunging at you to stab, you don’t have to kill, mangle him…take his legs out,” Gonzalez said.

The officers were not physically injured during the incident. As is standard procedure, both officers who were on the scene at the time of the incident will be placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Police have not released the names of anyone involved in the incident.

“This is the last thing any officer wants to do, yet we have the duty and the responsibility to protect not only ourselves but to protect those citizens in the immediate area,” Las Cruces Police Chief Richard Williams said.

The joint Officer-Involved Incident Task Force investigating the shooting includes investigators from New Mexico State Police, the Las Cruces Police Department, the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico State University Police Department. Upon completion of the investigation, the findings are forwarded to the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office for review.

Check kvia.com for more updates as they become available.