This story has been updated.
Las Cruces Police have identified both the man believed to have shot a passing motorist on Picacho Avenue Tuesday morning and the man who was killed.
LCPD arrested Pancho Garcia, 35, after breaching the window of the hotel room where he was allegedly barricaded for about three hours at about 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10. Police charged him with murder.
Police identified the deceased victim as Javier Lujan Garces, 29, who police found in his car when they arrived, according to a press release. First responders attempted life saving measures but Garces was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.
Police responded to reports of shots fired at the intersection of 17th Street and Picacho Ave. at approximately 8:30 a.m., Dan Trujillo, public information officer for LCPD, told the Bulletin.
According to multiple witnesses who would not give their names, shots were fired and struck a passing car which led the driver to crash into another motel on Picacho Ave.
The Las Cruces Police Department, along with the New Mexico State Police and Doña Ana County’s Sheriff Department blocked off Picacho Avenue between Quesenberry St. and Motel Blvd. as well as the surrounding streets Tuesday morning and redirected traffic to take an alternative route. Police asked residents of the motel where the alleged shooter barricaded himself to vacate the premises as the standoff continued.
Reporter Noah Raess contributed to this story.
