LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico State Police (NMSP) is investigating a deadly police shooting involving the Las Cruces Police Department.
According to an NMSP spokesperson, one of their officers conducted a traffic stop on 41-year-old Wallace Gonzales on Thursday night. Officials stated Gonzales had guns on his car’s dashboard, threatened to shoot the officer, and then led them on a chase.
NMSP stated Gonzales pulled into the White Sands Mall parking lot in Alamogordo, where there was a three-hour standoff between him, law enforcement, and the Las Cruces Police Department’s SWAT team.
Gonzales reportedly refused orders to exit the car peacefully, and gunfire was exchanged. A Las Cruces SWAT officer shot Gonzales, and he died on the scene.
No officers were injured, and NMSP is still investigating.