Las Cruces police: Suspect pointed gun at officer before fatal shooting

LAS CRUCES - The armed suspect who was shot dead Monday after an encounter with a Las Cruces police officer had pointed a 9mm handgun at the officer before the shooting, police revealed on Tuesday.

The Las Cruces Police Department released an image of the encounter taken from the officer's body camera showing the suspect — identified as 52-year-old Ernesto S. Sedillo — pointing the firearm at the officer from inside a parked vehicle on Arizona Avenue.

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The officer fired multiple gunshots at Sedillo, and at least one round struck his torso, according to  information released by LCPD. Though the incident was captured by the officer's body camera, the department stated in a news release that the video will not be public until after the investigation is complete.

Sedillo, who had a history of arrests since 2005, was pronounced dead at 12:57 p.m. after he was found unresponsive in the vehicle by a SWAT unit, police said.

The shooting

About an hour and a half earlier, police had been dispatched to the report of suspicious person, possibly armed with a knife, in the 800 block of Delta Drive. Police previously said that the suspect had been seen in 1700 block of Rio Grande Street.

The first officer on the scene arrived within minutes after the 911 call was placed at 11:24 a.m., LCPD spokesman Dan Trujillo said. Sedillo matched the description of the suspect and was located by the officer near a black Honda sedan parked along Arizona, police said.

By the time the officer had approached the vehicle, police said, Sedillo was in the backseat. 

More:LCPD: Armed suspect sparks SWAT situation

Seconds later, police said, Sedillo pointed a handgun at the officer, who fired several rounds at Sedillo. Police said the officer then retreated to his patrol unit to call for backup, unaware that the suspect had been struck.

Police on Monday said investigators believed that the suspect was still armed and had barricaded himself in the vehicle, and subsequently activated the joint LCPD-New Mexico State Police SWAT unit to make contact with the man.

LCPD said the SWAT unit received no response from Sedillo when multiple commands had been issued. Likewise, LCPD said, there was no response from Sedillo after the SWAT unit deployed an "audible diversionary device."

The SWAT unit then approached the vehicle and found Sedillo unresponsive with at least one gunshot wound to his torso, according to LCPD. No shots were fired by any members of the SWAT unit.

Sedillo was pronounced dead at the scene. Trujillo said no medical aid was rendered at the scene.

Investigators with the Officer Involved-Incident Task Force later discovered a 9mm handgun and a knife on Sedillo in the backseat of the vehicle, according to LCPD.

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The task force — made up four area law enforcement agencies, including LCPD —  investigates all officer-involved shootings and will report its findings to the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which will determine if the shooting was justified under New Mexico law.

Trujillo said Tuesday there was no evidence to suggest that the 9mm handgun had been fired during the incident. No officers were injured.

The officer who fired his weapon has since been placed on administrative leave, a standard procedure for officers involved in such incidents.

The LCPD statement used the masculine "his" to refer to the officer, but did not name him. LCPD said the officer is a four-year veteran of the department and previously had been a Doña Ana County sheriff’s deputy.

Arrest history

Doña Ana County jail records show that Sedillo had been arrested seven times since 2005. Three of those arrests occurred this year.

His most recent arrest was on June 9. At that time, he was charged with failure to appear, possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia, and several traffic violations. He was jailed for about four days before he was released on bond, court records show.

Court records also revealed that Sedillo had been charged in felony cases in 3rd Judicial District Court, dating to 2004 and, most recently, to this year. But only the most recent case was pending.

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On May 4, he was indicted by a Doña Ana County grand jury and charged with eight offenses, including two felonies, that stemmed from an incident on March 19.

Sedillo had been found passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle with two blown-out tires near Motel Boulevard and Amador Avenue, according to court documents. He was allegedly found in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

On May 9, prosecutors filed supplemental criminal information, alleging Sedillo was a habitual offender. The motion states that Sedillo had been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in January 2015 and vehicle burglary in May 2005.

Carlos Andres López can be reached 575-541-5453, carlopez@lcsun-news.com or @carlopez_los on Twitter.