Four Teens Charged in Wednesday Homicide
Police have arrested four teenagers believed to be responsible for Wednesday evening’s shooting in the Legends West neighborhood that resulted in the death of 16-year-old Dante Garcia.
About 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, Las Cruces police were dispatched to the report of a gunshot victim near a park on the 2800 block of Meriwether Street. Officers arrived to find a 16-year-old boy with at least one gunshot wound.
The victim was identified as 16-year-old Dante Garcia. He succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Police learned the possible suspects – four teenagers – fled from the area in a white Ford Taurus. A Las Cruces police detective, in an unmarked unit, spotted the vehicle and followed it to an address on the East Mesa. The detective called for backup and officers detained the four teenagers.
Investigators obtained a search warrant and recovered two firearms from the residence where the teens fled after the shooting.
Because of the ages of the suspects, Las Cruces police will not release their names.
One of the suspects is a 17-year-old boy who is charged with an open count of murder, one count of tampering with evidence and two counts of conspiracy. A 16-year-old girl is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence. Two 13-year-old girls are charged with tampering with evidence and conspiracy.
All four teens were ordered to be detained in the juvenile section of the Dona Ana County Detention Center.
