A state autopsy report says a 37-year-old Las Cruces man fatally shot by police on July 2 after pointing what turned out to be a pellet gun at officers may have been trying to provoke the shooting.
The report by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator says investigators learned that Jose Ramon "Joey" Estrada previously had told an associate that he intended to use the pellet gun that resembled a high-powered rifle to provoke police to shoot him.
The report says Estrada's medical history included schizophrenia.
The Las Cruces Sun-News disclosed that officers first fired less-lethal bean-bag rounds at Estrada before Estrada pointed the pellet gun at three officers, prompting the officers to shoot him.
Information From: Las Cruces Sun-News.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.