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A call about a car stuck in the snow ended with Torrance County deputies fatally shooting a Las Cruces man in a gunfight early Thursday morning in Edgewood.
New Mexico State Police spokesman Dusty Francisco said 34-year-old Andrew Castellano was pronounced dead at the scene. Francisco said no deputies were injured.
The incident marked the third time this month that authorities fired on someone in Edgewood and the second time Torrance County deputies killed someone during a confrontation in the area.
On Feb. 11, a State Police supervisor was shot and injured in a shootout with Caleb Elledge following a pursuit and, on Feb. 15, Torrance County deputies fatally shot Travis Boawn during a domestic violence call after he allegedly hit a woman with a claw hammer.
Just like those other incidents, Francisco said State Police are investigating Castellano’s death “to independently determine the series of events that led up to the shooting.”
Castellano was awaiting trial on charges of attempted murder in a 2020 case where he allegedly shot a man three times inside a Las Cruces motel room, accidentally shooting himself in the crotch in the process.
Early Thursday morning, Castellano and a woman apparently got stuck during a snowstorm in the East Mountains.
Francisco said the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office responded around 1:30 a.m. to a car stuck in the snow on County Road A102, near Monica Lane.
He said arriving deputies found Castellano and a woman in a passenger car. Francisco said “at some point” Castellano drew a gun from his waistband.
He said Castellano pointed the gun at a deputy and fired, leading the deputies to fire back.
Francisco said Castellano was struck by gunfire “at least once” and died at the scene.
The woman he was with was arrested on an unrelated warrant. “The identification of the deputies involved will not be released by the New Mexico State Police,” he said.
Francisco said State Police act “solely as factfinders in its cases and does not determine whether the actions of an officer were justified in these types of matters.”
“That decision rests with the district attorney’s office,” he said.
