An ongoing argument between a 58-year-old man and his longtime live-in girlfriend ended Wednesday morning after the man allegedly shot his girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself.
The incident happened in the 4700 block of Elks at approximately 8:30 a.m. A 911 call from inside the home alerted Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies that the couple who lived there had been fighting since the previous night. The caller was reportedly the couple’s 14-year-old daughter who said her dad had shot her mother.
Shortly after deputies arrived, they were able to make contact with the child and her mother, quickly escorting them to safety. The female victim, age unknown, had reportedly been shot at least three times. She was transported to a Las Cruces-area hospital with serious injuries.
Initial attempts to make contact with the suspect were unsuccessful. Sheriff’s detectives obtained a search warrant to make entry to the home just after 10 a.m. Upon entering the home, deputies determined the man had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Two schools in the area – Columbia Elementary and Vista Middle School – were instructed to shelter in place as a precaution. The order was lifted at approximately 11:30 Wednesday morning.
Information from Doña Ana County