On Monday, February 15, 2016, around 11:30 p.m., the New Mexico State Police was contacted to investigate an officer involved shooting incident which occurred fifteen miles west of Jal, New Mexico, at 169 Madera Road. This incident occurred Monday, February 15, 2016 around 10:50 p.m. after law enforcement officers employed by the Lea County Sheriff’s Office and Jal Police Department responded to a 911 call. The call consisted of a home owner seeking assistance after being awakened to an unidentified male intruder inside the residence.
The preliminary investigation indicates that two Lea County Sheriff’s deputies and two Jal Police officers arrived on scene and made contact with the suspect on the back porch of the residence. Based on statements, the deputies observed the suspect holding a firearm and gave several commands to drop the weapon. Shots were subsequently exchanged between the suspect and deputies.
The suspect, identified as Guadalupe Sauceda (52) from Hobbs, N.M. was fatally struck by gunfire and was pronounced deceased at the scene. One of the deputies was struck by gunfire and wounded in the upper thigh area of the leg. The deputy was transported to the Jal Airport and airlifted to Odessa Medical Center in Odessa, Texas for further medical treatment. The deputy was later released and is in stable condition.
All details of this incident are being investigated by the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau. The names of the officers involved will not be released until interviews have been conducted. Upon completion of the investigation, the case will be referred to an assigned district attorney’s office for review.
(Press release from the New Mexico State Police)