SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO
Las Cruces police say man's suicide attempt killed his mother
Son to be charged with involuntary manslaughter
Published
LAS CRUCES 鈥� A fatal shooting in Las Cruces appears to have stemmed, according to police, from a suicide attempt that went terribly wrong.
Police and EMTs rushed to a north Las Cruces residence on the night of July 1 after receiving a report of a gunshot victim. The responders found 58-year-old Tina Lucero with a single gunshot wound, police said, and began life-saving measures that were unsuccessful.
At the scene was Lucero鈥檚 son, Lawrence Lopez, 32, who sustained a gunshot wound to his hand. He was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital, where he was receiving treatment, according to police. As of Monday evening, he had apparently not been booked into the Do帽a Ana County Detention Center.
An investigation indicated that Lopez threatened to harm himself and produced a handgun in the presence of Lucero, who attempted to physically stop Lopez from taking action. During an ensuing struggle, police said they believed Lopez fired the weapon one time, with a round that injured his hand and gravely wounded his mother.
Police said Lopez would be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Algernon 顿鈥橝尘尘补蝉蝉补 is the Journal鈥檚 southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.
