Two Charged in Shooting that Killed Las Cruces Man
Tuesday evening’s shooting near University Avenue resulted in the death of a 21-year-old man and the arrest of two suspects believed to be responsible.
Juan Galindo, 21, of the 5900 block of Moonview Road, and 19-year-old Matthew Sierra, of the 2300 block of Idaho Avenue, are each charged with one first-degree felony count of murder and a third-degree felony count of tampering with evidence.
Shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, Las Cruces police were dispatched to the report of shots fired on the 400 block of east University Avenue. Officers arrived to find evidence of a shooting and 21-year-old Jose Adolfo De La Cruz suffering from a gunshot wound. De La Cruz was transported to Mountainview Regional Medical Center where he died shortly after arrival. Investigators believe he was shot once in his back.
Investigators learned that Galindo and Sierra wished to purchase acid and made arrangements with a mutual friend to meet De La Cruz to buy the hallucinogenic drug. The mutual friend, who police are not identifying but lives near where the shooting occurred, told investigators that Galindo and Sierra agreed to meet De La Cruz in a parking lot of the nearby IHOP restaurant.
Investigators learned that Galindo and Sierra arrived about 4 p.m. and waited for De La Cruz. When De La Cruz arrived, the mutual friend tried to facilitate the transaction. The deal apparently fell through and De La Cruz drove away. Investigators learned that Galindo and Sierra followed in a gold Dodge Stratus driven by Sierra.
Investigators learned that De La Cruz returned to the mutual friend’s home on University Avenue with Galindo and Sierra arriving shortly thereafter. Investigators believe Galindo exited the Dodge Stratus armed with a handgun and discharged several rounds into the trunk of De La Cruz’s car. One of the rounds struck De La Cruz who was sitting in the driver’s seat of his car.
Galindo and Sierra then fled the scene in the Dodge Stratus. Police interviewed several witnesses and obtained information that identified Galindo and Sierra as the suspects. The two suspects were located Tuesday evening at their respective homes and taken into custody. They were subsequently arrested on the charges and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where they both are initially being held without bond.
