Las Cruces Police charge 89-year-old with murder in son’s shooting death
Las Cruces Police have identified the 89-year-old man accused of fatally shooting his son Monday at The Village at Northrise as Carl Fredrick Harlan.
Carl Fredrick Harlan has been charged with an open count of murder in Monday’s shooting death of his son, 65-year-old Carl Tracy Harlan. The elder Harlan is also charged with one count of first-degree kidnapping and three counts of aggravated assault upon a peace officer.
Carl Tracy Harlan was shot at least once in his upper chest and was pronounced dead at MountainView Regional Medical Center in Las Cruces.
Carl Fredrick Harlan was transported to University Medical Center of El Paso with a gunshot wound to his right hand.
On Tuesday he remained hospitalized but police say his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest once he’s released from UMC. His cash-only bond has been set at $50,000.
Police say that preliminary information indicates that there was a possible altercation inside the room between Carl Fredrick Harlan and his son who had driven from Arizona to visit his father, a resident at The Hallmark independent living facility at the Village at Northrise.
An 84-year-old woman who also lives on the second floor of The Hallmark, next door to Carl Fredrick Harlan, apparently heard commotion coming from the 89-year-old’s room and went to help when she was allegedly taken hostage by the elder Harlan.
Village at Northrise staff became aware of the hostage situation and called 911, summoning police to the scene, at around 10:50 a.m. Monday.
As police arrived to the second-floor hallway, Carl Fredrick Harlan is accused by police of allegedly pointing a black revolver at three officers.
One officer, who has been with LCPD since 2014, fired at least one round and struck the suspect.
Carl Tracy Harlan was then discovered inside his father’s room, suffering from a gunshot wound to his lower chest.
The woman who was taken hostage suffered a leg injury when she was pushed by Carl Fredrick Harlan. She was also transported to a local hospital.
As is standard procedure, the officer who fired at the elder Harlan was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The Officer-involved Incident Task Force is investigating the shooting. The task force includes investigators from New Mexico State Police, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State University Police and Las Cruces Police.
