Detectives: explosion that killed Dona Ana County man an accident

The explosion that killed a 30-year-old man over the weekend was an accident, detectives with the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department said.

It happened shortly after Noon Saturday on the 6300 block of Weisner Road, north of Highway 70.

A shop owner called 911 after an employee was injured while trying to inflate an oversized tire.

The shop owner told investigators Joseph Suder had been working on fabricated rims, each of which weighed approximately 400 pounds.

Suder was reportedly using ether to mount a tire onto the rim when the explosion happened.

Suder was pronounced dead at the scene, sheriff’s office officials said.

Suder’s body was taken to Albuquerque for autopsy at the request of the Office of the Medical Examiner.