Las Cruces police provide account of Feb. 8 shooting of suspect

LAS CRUCES — Police Chief Jeremy Story provided his department’s account of the fatal shooting of a man who fired multiple shots at police officers the morning of Feb. 8. 

At a news conference nine days following the incident, Story led a presentation accompanied by video footage from officers’ body-worn cameras as well as security footage from businesses, providing a timeline for the events that day as well as the criminal history of Johnny Ray Morales, the 28-year-old man fatally shot by police in a drainage area off of Valley Drive, one of the city’s busiest streets.

On security video, Morales was seen walking into a Walmart store at 7:14 a.m. and leaving shortly afterward on a bicycle the store reported he had stolen. In seconds, a Las Cruces police officer who was working approved off-duty employment at the store pursued him in his police vehicle with lights and sirens signaling for him to stop.

Body camera footage shows the officer, who has not been identified, exiting the vehicle and approaching Morales, who can be seen aiming a handgun at him before firing two shots. The officer fell to the ground, injuring himself, though Story said he had not been wounded by gunfire.

“It was very close,” Story said. “Looking at where the round struck, it was directly at him.”

As LCPD officers and sheriff’s deputies responded, Morales fled across a vacant lot and a drainage area into a space between a Blake’s Lotaburger restaurant and an Enterprise car rental location. Police footage shows the officer pursuing Morales, who ducked behind commercial garbage dumpsters for cover. 

The officers called for him to stop and raise his hands before gunfire was heard again and officers, taking cover behind a different dumpster, returned fire. Radio transmissions audible in the video include officers confirming that Morales had fired upon them, but it is not clear how many times. Story said no officers were wounded by gunfire.

Business security footage shows Morales continuing to hold a weapon as he leaped over fencing down into the dirt area, where he ran east toward Valley Drive. From across the open area, on Rigsby Road, police footage shows a third volley of gunfire where officers fired upon Morales with rifles as he ran across the depression. The gunfire subsided at 7:27 a.m., according to camera data — 13 minutes after Morales strolled into the Walmart.

The Smith & Wesson handgun Morales was holding had been reported stolen in Truth or Consequences, Story said.

The timing of the incident held an eerie resonance for Las Cruces police officers, taking place on a Super Bowl Sunday. It was on another Super Bowl day — Feb. 11, 2024 — that LCPD officer Jonah Hernandez was killed while responding to a trespassing call, also on Valley Drive, 1.4 miles north of this month's incident. The department recently marked the anniversary with a closed memorial event for family members and first responders.

Morales, whose criminal history was extensive and, according to Story, began during his juvenile years, was free on bond awaiting a trial in June on charges of child abuse, possession of a weapon after previous felony convictions and possession of a stolen firearm.

Story, an advocate for reforming New Mexico laws on pretrial release, competency and penalties for repeat offenders, suggested that even under current statutes, Morales should have been in custody rather than out on the street.

Morales had been arrested in October for felony possession of a controlled substance and was released the following day by a magistrate court judge on an unsecured bond, Story reported.

“He got charged with those felonies, which I would consider serious felonies… and then he gets another felony charge and was released the next day,” Story said. “Under current law, my understanding is that should not happen. You should have to see the judges involved in all his cases for them to make a determination. I don’t have the answer for why that occurred, but that’s where I have a little bit of heartburn.”

Story said Morales spent most of the years from 2020 to 2025 incarcerated in New Mexico following felony convictions involving drugs, firearms, child abuse and motor vehicle theft.

He also said Morales was frequently arrested for probation and parole violations and had reported himself as a member of the Cruces Boys gang.

In January, there were three police encounters involving Morales including him allegedly fleeing from a welfare check after he was found passed out in a vehicle; a report of domestic violence; and armed threats.

But a memorial at the approximate spot where Morales fell expresses the grief of family members. A glass candle inscribed by a niece reads, “It’s your turn to look over us.”

A GoFundMe campaign seeking assistance with funeral expenses states: “Johnny was a loving and helpful person with a big heart, always ready to lend a hand to anyone in need. He touched the lives of so many people and left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him. Losing him so suddenly has left our family heartbroken and searching for ways to honor his memory.”

The family did not respond to queries from the Journal on Tuesday.

Story said the officers involved in the shooting were placed on standard administrative leave, and the first responding officer was undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in his fall. He was working at the store under a policy permitting LCPD officers to work in uniform for law enforcement service under contract with a private entity.

A multi-agency investigation consisting of the LCPD, New Mexico State Police, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico State University Police Department was still underway and will present its findings to the District Attorney’s Office once concluded, Story said.

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