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Two Las Cruces men face criminal charges after police say they shot a man in a dispensary parking lot.
Xavier Noe Altamirano, 20, is charged with second-degree murder and shooting at or from a motor vehicle. Jesus Adan Herrera, 36, is charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and possession of a firearm by a felon. The charges stem from the shooting death of 23-year-old Steven Alarcon on Dec. 23, 2023.
According to an affidavit, police believe Altamirano and Herrera drove to Top Crop at 2240 E. Lohman Avenue around 11 p.m. Police said surveillance footage covering the dispensary’s parking lot showed Alarcon walking up to Altamirano and Herrera, who sat in a truck. Police said the three men had gotten into an argument that escalated when Altamirano fired a gun several times out of the window, killing Alarcon.
Altamirano was arrested a month later on Jan. 23, 2024, in Las Cruces. According to the affidavit, police first arrested Herrera shortly after the shooting, then connected Altamirano to the killing. Las Cruces Det. David Benoit said in the affidavit police first identified Altamirano as the passenger by a set of rings he wore during the shooting. He wore the same rings, police said, when he and Herrera visited an El Paso mall days before the shooting.
