The New Mexico State Police (NMSP) is actively investigating a deadly shooting incident in Alamogordo that ended with a 41-year-old man, Wallace Gonzales, deceased. According to KFOX-TV, the Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) officer was involved in the fatal encounter in the White Sands Mall parking lot after an extended standoff Thursday evening.

NMSP's Investigations Bureau aims to gather evidence and conduct interviews to construct a factual sequence of events, emphasizing that their role is not to assess the justification behind the shooting officer's actions. As reported by KFOX-TV, that determination is within the purview of the district attorney's office.

An LCPD SWAT officer allegedly exchanged gunfire with Gonzales after he spent hours barricaded in his vehicle. "As officers approached the truck, Gonzales was found unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound. He also had a firearm in each hand," NMSP officials said, as obtained by KVIA. Despite paramedics' efforts to provide aid, Gonzales was pronounced dead at the scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator. Thankfully, no officers sustained injuries throughout the event.

Detailed information about the dialogues that occurred before the shooting suggests that Gonzales was noncompliant with the responding officers' commands. NMSP officials say an LCPD SWAT officer fired at least one shot from their “department-issued rifle” during the exchange, as detailed by KTSM. After securing both firearms found with Gonzales, NMSP continued with their procedures to provide aid and subsequently confirmed the casualty. NMSP is still investigating the chain of events leading up to the incident.