Roswell officer shoots fleeing armed suspect, police say; deputy involved in crash responding to scene

ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE) – A Roswell Police officer shot a suspect who was fleeing and had a warrant for his arrest, police announced Thursday afternoon.

The shooting took place around 11:40 a.m. on Relief Route just west of South Main Street. Police said the incident began as a traffic stop near South Sunset Avenue and West Brasher Road.

The male suspect fled in the vehicle he was in. The suspect was later shot after fleeing on foot from the vehicle at the Relief Route location. Police said the suspect was carrying a rifle when he fled the vehicle.

The Relief Route is closed between Main and Sunset. Police are asking people to avoid this area as that section of road will be closed for an extended period.

New Mexico State Police will handle the investigation of the officer-involved shooting. Police did not initially provide the condition of the suspect who was shot.

Separately, a Chaves County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was responding to the officer-involved shooting was involved in a crash at SE Main and Brasher in Roswell, according to Chaves County Undersheriff Charles Yslas.

The crash happened at 11:45 a.m. The deputy was taken to a local hospital, where he is said to be doing “well,” Yslas said in a video posted to Facebook .

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