LAS CRUCES – Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story released additional details and video at an April 29 news conference about an officer-involved shooting that killed 45-year-old David Gallegos Jr. five days earlier on East Lohman Avenue.
According to police, two agents with the Las Cruces–Doña Ana County Metro Narcotics Agency were watching Gallegos on April 24 as part of an investigation into suspected methamphetamine trafficking. The agents followed him to a McDonald’s near the 2300 block of East Lohman Avenue, where police said he confronted another driver before and after entering the restaurant.
The agents, who were in uniform and riding in an unmarked vehicle, approached Gallegos as he walked toward his pickup. Police said video shows Gallegos reaching for a handgun in his waistband as the agents got out. One agent identified them as law enforcement and fired. Officers who arrived afterward attempted lifesaving measures, but Gallegos was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said they recovered a loaded 9mm handgun that Gallegos had been carrying. A search of his pickup found approximately 1.13 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 500 fentanyl pills and 20 grams of powdered fentanyl, according to the department. Two people who had been sitting in the pickup were interviewed and released.
The agent who fired was placed on administrative leave under department protocol. The Officer-Involved Incident Task Force was investigating the shooting and would present its findings to the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office for review. The police account described at the news conference was preliminary; the release did not announce a finding on whether the shooting was justified.
John Krehbiel – Bravo Mic Communications News, LLC – John@Bravomic.com
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