Las Cruces police chief details fatal shooting of 18-year-old

LAS CRUCES — A few minutes after sunrise on May 8, a Las Cruces police officer was nearing the end of his shift, sitting in the parking lot of a medical office building across the street from a middle school.

According to Police Chief Jeremy Story at a news conference Tuesday, that officer was surprised as two teenagers ran up the steep driveway leading into the parking lot, pursued by 18-year-old Josiah Perrault. Perrault was armed, as was one of the teens he was chasing.

In the next few seconds, Perrault reportedly shot and injured one of the other youths as the officer intervened and shot Perrault. Perrault was alleged by one witness to have pointed his weapon at the officer before being shot.

Perrault was pronounced dead at the scene.

It was the second shooting of a resident by police in 2025. The officer, who remains on standard administrative leave as the investigation continues, has not been identified.

The officer engaged his lapel camera after the shooting occurred, capturing footage where Perrault is scarcely visible at a distance from the police vehicle as the officer instructs the others to keep their hands in view while they wait for help.

“Imagine you’re sitting there completing paperwork, getting ready for the end of your shift, and two people run in front of your car and then gunfire erupts,” Story said. “It’s understandable that the first instinct is not to manually activate the camera.”

The news conference, held at City Hall, also included footage of witness interviews fleshing out the circumstances that led to the foot chase and gunfire. The witnesses’ faces and identities were obscured, as they were all minors.

According to those witnesses, the violence escalated from an argument between two teenagers walking along S. Walnut Street and four people riding in a white sedan, including Perrault. Witnesses said the argument was over looks exchanged between the two parties, and firearms were brandished on both sides.

“They rolled down the window and were like, ‘What? What? Are you looking for problems?’” said one of the witnesses who was on foot, in video footage presented Tuesday. The witness indicated they were not acquainted with the car’s passengers, consisting of three men and a woman.

The parties separated and the two pedestrians continued north, but when they retraced their steps a short time later, they found the car waiting for them near an intersection. Perrault and another occupant left the vehicle to chase them south, with Perrault holding a handgun. The two people fleeing ran into the enclosed parking lot, where they were cornered.

Story said Perrault had been charged as a minor for aggravating fleeing and evading an officer in May of last year, and prior to that had been a passenger in a vehicle that fled from Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputies in an incident involving a firearm. In March of this year, Story said Perrault had been the driver of a vehicle suspected of being in a drive-by shooting. Perrault was not charged in that case, but Story said two weapons were recovered from the car during a traffic stop.

The shooting took place within a block of Young Park, where a March 21 shooting during a car-related gathering claimed the lives of three teenagers, wounded 15 people and led to murder charges against three teens and one 20-year-old.

“This is another example of our young teenage boys — of losing them for senseless acts, meaningless acts, and I think that’s a deeper problem that we need to address,” Story said.

He did not rule out the possibility of criminal charges for others involved in the incident.

Tuesday’s news conference took place 12 days after Perrault’s shooting, as at least 20 LCPD personnel traveled last week to Washington, D.C., to participate in National Police Week.

The event honors fallen police officers, with a vigil and memorial service at which Las Cruces personnel honored Jonah Hernandez, an LCPD officer killed in the line of duty in 2024. Hernandez’s widow and children also attended, according to a city spokesperson.

The city said Story attended along with Deputy Chief Sean Mullen and LCPD’s traffic unit, with travel expenses covered by private donors and the Las Cruces Police Officers Association, and LCPD paying for four members of the city honor guard to attend.

“At its core, Police Week is not a celebration, it is about remembrance,” Story said, continuing, “We would not have delayed (the conference) unless it was necessary.”

At a City Council meeting the previous afternoon, Councilor Johana Bencomo recommended “succession planning” to allow for prompt communications about emergencies such as police shootings in the chief’s absence.

“We know that misinformation and disinformation run rampant when people don’t have facts,” Bencomo said.