DEMING, NM — New Mexico State Police are investigating a fatal shooting by three Deming police officers and the death of another man found nearby after the same call for shots fired. Officials said officers shot Jaime Aguilar, 28, during a foot pursuit on Nov. 5, and later discovered Shawn Anderson, 50, dead at the original location of the disturbance.
The incidents unfolded in the area of Spruce Street in Deming after police responded to a report of gunfire. State Police said the case now involves two separate death investigations, one centered on the officer-involved shooting and the other on Anderson’s death. No officers were injured in the encounter.
How the chase began after the shots fired call
Deming officers were sent to 220 Spruce St. at about 4:29 p.m. after a report of shots fired, according to a State Police news release issued Friday. A responding officer saw Aguilar leaving the area and relayed that information to other officers on the radio.
Investigators said Aguilar did not comply when officers ordered him to stop, and the pursuit moved from the initial scene to the area of 113 E. Spruce St., near Wells Fargo Bank. The sequence set up the encounter that ended with officers firing their duty weapons. State Police have not said what first prompted the shots fired report.
Three officers fired their weapons during the encounter
State Police said three Deming police officers fired their service weapons during the foot chase, striking Aguilar. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator. Authorities said a firearm was recovered, but they did not say whether Aguilar was holding it or using it when officers opened fire.
Officials also have not described the immediate moments before the shooting or explained what led the officers to use deadly force. The agency said it is still reconstructing the sequence of events. Because the investigation remains open, State Police have not released additional details about the recovered weapon or the exact confrontation.
Second death found back at the original Spruce Street location
After the shooting, officers returned to 220 Spruce St., where they found Anderson dead. State Police said the circumstances of his death remain under investigation and have not said whether Aguilar was connected to it.
Investigators have also not established how Anderson died or whether his death happened before, during or after the pursuit. The agency said only that he was found at the location where the incident began. That uncertainty means the two deaths are being examined separately, even though they stem from the same response to reported gunfire.
State investigators are reconstructing the timeline and collecting evidence
The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau is leading an independent review of both deaths. Agents are collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses and piecing together the order of events from the first dispatch to the final discovery at the original scene.
State Police said the findings will be forwarded to the district attorney’s office, which will decide whether the officers’ use of deadly force was legally justified. The agency said it will not identify the three officers who fired their weapons. Questions about their duty status or any administrative action were directed to the Deming Police Department.
What officials have and have not said so far
As of the agency’s Friday announcement, investigators had not released more information about the encounter, the firearm found at the scene or the events surrounding Anderson’s death. They also did not identify what happened immediately after the officers pursued Aguilar on foot or what role, if any, the weapon played in the shooting.
The limited public details leave several central questions unanswered, including the connection between the two men and the exact order of the two deaths. For now, both investigations remain active. State Police say they are still working through witness interviews and forensic evidence as they continue building the case file.
