By KRWG News
Las Cruces – The Las Cruces Police Department, a multi-agency task force and the Third Judicial District Attorney's Office are investigating a Tuesday morning shooting involving a police officer that resulted in the death of a 23-year-old man who was wielding a samurai-type sword.
Shortly before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 13, Las Cruces Police were called to the Mesilla Manor Apartments, at 1101 E. Boutz Road, where a man was seen carrying a long sword and waving it in a hostile manner.
The preliminary investigation reveals that two LCPD officers arrived on scene and located the man in the northwest parking lot of the apartment complex. The man aggressively closed distance on the officers threatening them with a sword that measured 4-feet long.
One of the officers, a seven year veteran of the Las Cruces Police Department, fired his duty weapon and struck the suspect at least once. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officers were not physically injured during the incident. As is standard procedure, both officers who were on the scene at the time of the incident will be placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The joint Officer-Involved Incident Task Force includes investigators from New Mexico State Police, the Las Cruces Police Department, the Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office and the New Mexico State University Police Department. Upon completion of the investigation, the findings are forwarded to the Third Judicial District Attorney's Office for review.