Las Cruces PD SWAT officer shoots, kills man in Alamogordo

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- New Mexico State Police are investigating a shooting during a traffic stop in which a Las Cruces Police Department SWAT officer shot a man.

A NMSP officer stopped 41-year-old Wallace Gonzales on US-54 near mile marker 75. The officer reported seeing guns on Gonzales' dashboard. The officer reported hearing threats made by Gonzales, NMSP officials say.

NMSP officials say Gonzales drove off and officers followed. NMSP officials say Gonzales stopped in the parking lot of the White Sands mall in Alamogordo and LCPD SWAT and the NMSP Tactical Team were called in to help.

After three hours of holing up in his car, Gonzales and a LCPD SWAT officer exchanged gunfire, NMSP officials say.

"As officers approached the truck, Gonzales was found unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound. He also had a firearm in each hand," NMSP officials stated Friday. "Once the weapons were secured, paramedics rendered aid, but Gonzales succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator. No officers were injured during this incident."

NMSP is not identifying the LCPD SWAT officer at this time, officials say. The shooting is still under investigation by the NMSP Investigations Bureau.