Federal jury clears Las Cruces police in 2021 shooting

LAS CRUCES — Four Las Cruces police officers were cleared by a federal jury Wednesday in a civil lawsuit brought by a Las Cruces man who was shot multiple times after a 2021 vehicle pursuit.

Jonathan Strickland, 30, sued the city and individual police officers in 2023, saying his shooting was a "reckless" and unjustified use of lethal force that violated his Fourth Amendment rights.

He also claimed he was denied adequate medical care and that LCPD supervisors improperly ratified the officers’ actions. Strickland’s claims included assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. He sought punitive and compensatory damages.

After deliberating on Tuesday and Wednesday, the jury ruled that officers Joshua Savage, Manuel Frias, Nathan Krause and Anthony Lucero did not use excessive force or commit battery or assault, awarding Strickland no damages.

On March 11, 2021, Strickland’s then-wife visited the police department to report domestic violence allegations against him. In his complaint, Strickland maintains that the report was false and that he parked in the police station lot near his wife’s car, unsure whether to enter and address the complaint, before thinking better of it and driving away.

Police said they became aware of Strickland’s presence in the parking lot and were planning to take him into custody when he drove off in his Toyota Tacoma pickup. LCPD officers pursued him and disabled the truck using a PIT maneuver, spinning Strickland's truck 180 degrees on a city street.

Events over the next several seconds are in dispute. Police said Strickland, who was unarmed, made a gesture with his hands as if firing a weapon. Strickland’s lawsuit states that officers opened fire without warning, shooting dozens of rounds into his truck and his body.

A news release by the city Thursday repeated highly publicized allegations from the time of the shooting involving multiple incidents of domestic violence, some involving firearms, brought against Strickland in subsequent grand jury indictments, though nearly all of the charges were subsequently dismissed.

Strickland was indicted in 2021 on 11 counts involving domestic abuse and sexual violence, yet all but one of those charges were subsequently dropped, and in 2023, Strickland pleaded no contest to one count of criminal damage to property of a household member under $1,000. He was sentenced to a year in prison with credit for 380 days he had spent in custody. A separate case, also from 2021, with charges including child abuse, battery and assault was dropped.

At a 2023 news conference in Las Cruces announcing the lawsuit, Strickland denied the allegations. However, he pleaded guilty in 2024 to aggravated stalking in violation of a protective order over text messages and was sentenced to probation, per court records.

"The City is gratified by this outcome, which recognizes the challenging and split-second decisions law enforcement officers must make to ensure public safety," Las Cruces City Attorney Brad Douglas stated in a news release. "We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement in our policing practices."

DeWitt Lacy, an attorney representing Strickland in the lawsuit, told the Journal, “I think there were some things that the jury probably needed to see that they didn’t have an opportunity to see. It doesn’t seem like they got to see the entire story. Of course, we’re disappointed with where things stand right now, but we believe there are solid grounds for an appeal in the 10th Circuit and that’s what we plan to do.”

LCPD Chief Jeremy Story said the jury’s decision “affirms the professionalism of our officers,” whom he called “well-trained public servants who are routinely called upon to make difficult decisions in rapidly evolving situations.”

Algernon D’Ammassa is the Journal’s southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.