Juan Angel Pinedo

Deadly force

Juan Angel Pinedo was shot and killed after he led police on a foot pursuit for several city blocks and across the Las Cruces High School campus. Pinedo allegedly was armed with a handgun. Pinedo was wanted by police after he was suspected of pointing a handgun at a man and firing a couple of rounds into the air after confronting his ex-girlfriend. Officers closed in on Pinedo when he jumped a fence and lost possession of his handgun. Officers repeatedly warned Pinedo to put his hands up and step away from the gun. Instead, body cam video shows that he lunged for the weapon. Four officers fired a total of 17 shots, striking Pinedo nine times. The officers were cleared of criminal wrongdoing.