A Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputy is dead and another in custody following an early-morning shooting at Hotel Encanto in Las Cruces. One of the deputies, a 27-year-old man, is being interviewed by Las Cruces Police detectives. Charges are pending. The Associated Press quotes attorney John Day as saying his client, Deputy Ty Chan, is the man in custody. Deputy Jeremy Martin, 29, was pronounced dead at MountainView Regional Medical Center.
Las Cruces Police investigators have learned that the deputies were passing through Las Cruces after transporting a prisoner to a detention facility in Arizona. As the two were on their return trip to Santa Fe they rented a room just before 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, at Hotel Encanto, 705 S. Telshor Blvd. Sometime Monday evening the two deputies went to Dublin’s Street Pub, at 1745 E. University Ave., where it’s believed they consumed alcohol and got into an argument.
At around midnight, or shortly thereafter, the two returned to Hotel Encanto and to their 7th Floor room. The argument between the two quickly escalated and the 27-year-old deputy is believed to have fired several rounds from a semi-automatic weapon at Martin. Evidence indicates that the 27-year-old fired several rounds as Martin attempted to flee the 7th Floor and enter an elevator.
Shortly before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, Las Cruces Police were dispatched to the shooting and arrived to find Martin bleeding profusely just outside the elevator in the hotel lobby. Officers rushed Martin to MountainView Regional Medical Center but attempts to save his life were unsuccessful. Martin had several gunshot wounds to his back and arms.
Meanwhile, LCPD officers at Hotel Encanto began the challenging task of looking for the shooter who was still believed to be in the seven-story hotel. Officers subsequently located the deputy in a stairwell near the roof of the hotel. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Martin’s next of kin have been notified as well as officials with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation is ongoing. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
Information from Las Cruces Police