Investigators are continuing to look into Friday evening’s shooting that claimed the life of 36-year-old Joshua “Josh” Clay Dunne of Las Cruces.
Preliminary information from the investigation indicates that officers were dispatched to Dunne’s residence shortly before 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2. A relative indicated to police that Dunne was possibly suicidal, and could be armed with a 9mm handgun and a hunting knife. Officers began looking for Dunne who was said to be driving a gray Toyota 4Runner.
About an hour later, an LCPD officer located the 4Runner parked at the Sleep Inn, at 2121 S. Triviz Dr., and learned that Dunne had rented a room on the third floor of the hotel.
Officers attempted to negotiate with Dunne for several hours beginning at around 5 p.m. Eventually, the Las Cruces Police Department’s SWAT and Hostage Negotiation teams were activated but Dunne remained uncooperative and refused to exit the hotel room.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m., shots were fired and Dunne was struck at least once. He was transported to Memorial Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.
No officers were injured during the incident.
Two LCPD officers have been placed on administrative leave which is standard procedure for such an incident.
The joint investigation is being conducted by the Las Cruces Police Department and the Officer-involved Incident Task Force. The task force includes investigators from New Mexico State Police, the Las Cruces Police Department, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico State University Police.
Information from Las Cruces Police