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New Details Emerge In Las Cruces Officer-Involved Fatal Shooting

Las Cruces police are revealing more information about an officer-involved shooting earlier this month that left 29-year-old James Bishop dead.

On the evening of August 3rd, James Bishop’s father called 911. According to a family statement, Bishop “suffered a mental health episode.” They hoped police could get him under control and transport him to the hospital.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Police Chief Patrick Gallagher described what happened next. He said two officers arrived at the Bishop home.

“Mr. Bishop’s father informed the officers that his son was inside the residence armed with a baseball bat and was violent and they were probably going to have to tase him,” Gallagher said.

When the first officer entered, Bishop approached her, wielding the baseball bat. She fired her taser but Gallagher said it was ineffective.

“It’s our belief, preliminary, that the taser was not effective because as Mr. Bishop brought the baseball bat down he deflected the taser,” Gallagher said.

According to Gallagher, Bishop struck the officer with his bat then raised it again. At that point, the second officer fired multiple rounds. Bishop was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gallagher stressed that these findings are preliminary and the incident is still under investigation. He didn’t reveal the officers’ names, but said both were placed on administrative leave and have since returned to duty.

Gavin Clarkson, a spokesman for the Bishop family, said they don’t have a statement at this time.

“The entire Bishop family are very strong Christians and their faith is giving them a tremendous amount of strength to be able to push through this situation," Clarkson said. "They want to convey, as they said in their initial statement, they are praying for the officers involved and they’re asking the community to do the same."

Once the investigation is concluded, the district attorney will review the case.

Mallory Falk currently serves as a reporter for Texas public radio stations and her work continues to be heard on KRWG. She was based here from June, 2018 through June, 2019 as a Report for America corps member. She covers a wide range of issues in the region, including immigration, education, healthcare, economic development, and the environment. Mallory previously served as education reporter at WWNO, New Orleans Public Radio, where her coverage won multiple awards. Her stories have aired on regional and national programs like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here & Now, and Texas Standard.