Video: Wanted 75-Year-Old Man Opens Fire at N.M. State Police Officer

May 29, 2025

A man wanted on a probation violation in Arizona was fatally shot after an altercation during a traffic stop and a shootout with New Mexico State Police.

By Gregory Hasman

Source Albuquerque Journal, N.M.

A Las Cruces man wanted on a probation violation was killed in a noon shootout with a New Mexico State Police officer north of Truth or Consequences on Tuesday.

Dennis Jones, 75, was pronounced dead at the scene on N.M. 181, NMSP spokesperson Ricardo Breceda said in a news release Wednesday, updating the incident.

According to the police, an officer pulled over Jones around 12:10 p.m. after running his license plate and finding that Jones was wanted in Arizona on a probation violation in connection with a sexual assault case.

Police said during the traffic stop, "an altercation ensued," and the officer fired at least one shot from his pistol at Jones, who stayed in his pickup truck and fled onto N.M. 181.

"The officer caught up to the vehicle, which had stopped in the middle of High Winds Road," Breceda said in the release. "The officer gave commands to Jones, who then began firing at the officer. The officer returned fire with his duty-issued rifle. After the exchange of gunfire, officers approached the vehicle and located Jones unresponsive."

The officer, whose name won't be released until interviews are completed, was not injured. He has since been put on administrative leave, which is standard.

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