Las Cruces police and the Officer-Involved Incident Task Force are continuing to investigate Saturday’s shooting death of 23-year-old Nathaniel Montoya who was the primary suspect in a homicide that took place the previous evening.
Montoya was the suspect in Friday evening’s death of 29-year-old Abraham Gomez. Investigators learned that Montoya was with friends Friday, Feb. 16, at a home on the 2300 block of Sambrano Avenue. Montoya and Gomez exited the residence and, a short while later, a witness heard what appeared to be a gunshot and then a scuffle outside the home. One of the friends exited the home and witnessed what appeared to be a struggle between Montoya and Gomez. The witness called police. Officers arrived at about 7:30 p.m. to find Gomez outside the home and unconscious. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators later determined that Gomez had one gunshot wound to his back.
Montoya fled the Sambrano home in a Dodge Durango which was located later Friday evening off Bataan Memorial East, east of Roadrunner Parkway. A woman told officers that she saw Montoya abandon the Durango and board a dark-color minivan that was seen heading east along Highway 70. On Saturday, at about noon, the owner of the minivan reported it missing and indicated that it was not running properly in the rain Friday and was left on the side of the road.
Investigators believe Montoya, in an attempt to elude police, stole the minivan Friday evening after leaving the Sambrano incident. There appears to be no prior connection between the owner of the minivan and Montoya.
At about 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17, LCPD officers located the minivan on Galina Drive in the Las Colinas neighborhood. Montoya was positively identified as the driver and sole occupant of the minivan. Officers tried to conduct a traffic stop but the minivan fled and Montoya led officers on a high-speed pursuit through Las Cruces. During the pursuit, officers tried to disable the vehicle at least twice but to no avail.
The pursuit ended in the parking lot of the Valero gas station at 1401 E. Lohman Ave. Preliminary information from the investigation indicates that Montoya drove the minivan into the parking lot at a high rate of speed and struck several parked vehicles. The crash injured a 33-year-old pedestrian who was standing between two vehicles. The pedestrian was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators learned that shortly after Montoya crashed the minivan into the vehicles at the Valero gas station an LCPD officer discharged several rounds, striking Montoya. Officers removed Montoya from the minivan and he was pronounced dead on the scene. Further details on the pursuit and shooting at the Valero gas station cannot be released at this time pending further investigation.
The officer, a seven-year veteran of the Las Cruces Police Department, has been placed on administrative leave which is standard protocol for such an incident. His name will be released upon completion of the investigation.
The Officer-Involved Incident Task Force includes investigators from the Las Cruces Police Department, New Mexico State Police, New Mexico State University Police and the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office.
Information from Las Cruces Police