Las Cruces jury acquits man of murder in dispensary shooting

Update (September 17, 2024): Altamirano's defense attorney says that his client was found not guilty of second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and shooting from a motor vehicle.

His defense team says they put him on the stand in his own defense. He told the jury that he did not know Alarcon, who he claimed had approached his car "aggressively."

Altamirano testified that he feared for his life and believed that Alarcon had been reaching for a gun.

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Las Cruces Police arrested 20-year-old Xavier Noe Altamirano for the shooting death of 23-year-old Steven Alarcon on December 23, 2023. They also arrested Jesus Adan Herrera, the alleged driver of the car Altamirano was riding in at the time of the shooting.

Officers arrested and charged Altamirano with second-degree murder and a second-degree count of shooting at or from a car on January 23, 2024. They arrested and charged Herrera with conspiracy to commit a second-degree felony, tampering with evidence, violating terms of his probation, and being a felon in possession of a firearm on December 27, 2023.

Police officials say that around 11 the night of the murder, officers found Alarcon dead in the parking lot of Top Crop, a cannabis dispensary on the 2200 block of East Lohman Avenue.

During the investigation, officers say they learned Herrera and Alarcon got into a shouting match. Herrera was in the drivers seat of a blue GMC Sierra 1500, while Altamirano was sitting in the front passenger seat. Police say that as the argument escalated, Altamirano shot through the open driver's-side window several times, killing Alarcon. Police say Herrera and Altamirano rode away before police arrived.

"Investigators obtained a significant amount of evidence that positively identified Herrera as the driver of the GMC Sierra and Altamirano as the front-seat passenger and shooter," police officials explained.

Police booked Altamirano and Herrera into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where they are being held without bond.