A man died after he fired a gun at deputies who then shot him in the Lowe’s parking lot
By Jennifer Garcia
jgarcia@riograndesun.com
Managing Editor
New Mexico State Police are investigating a police-involved shooting that left one man dead on April 10, following a shooting in the Lowe’s Home Improvement parking lot.
Zachary Sisneros, 32, of Albuquerque, allegedly stole items from his father’s home in Dixon. A call was received at the Española/Rio Arriba E-911 Center at 12:33 p.m., according to 911 logs. The caller, Sisneros’s father, who is not identified, said Sisneros stole items from his house, to include a gun, which he said did not have ammo. He was driving a 2014 Toyota Camry and the caller suspected he was headed to Albuquerque to sell the items to acquire drugs, the logs said. A BOLO was issued for the car and while traveling along State Road 68, deputies saw a vehicle matching the description they’d been given, RASO Major Lorenzo Aguilar said Thursday via telephone.
Deputies followed the car which stopped at the Speedway store near Walmart. A man, Sisneros, exited the car and walked into the store, then came back and got back into the car, the logs said. That entry was recorded at 1:02 p.m. The next log entry at 1:06 p.m. said “suspect has been hit.”
According to a NMSP press release on the incident, Sisneros had driven from Speedway to Lowe’s, where RASO deputies and an officer with the Ohkay Owingeh Police Department made contact with him.
“He exited the vehicle armed with a rifle,” the press release said. “RASO deputies and an Ohkay Owingeh PD officer fired their duty weapons, striking Sisneros. Sisneros received on-scene medical treatment before he was transported to an area hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. No officers were injured during this incident.”
Aguilar said he wasn’t sure what type of gun Sisneros had or how many rounds were fired, as that is part of the State Police investigation. He said the deputies’ vehicles were not hit and the deputies were not hurt.
State Police did not identify the deputies or tribal officer involved in the shooting.
“New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews,” the press release said. “Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the district attorney for review.”
Sheriff Billy Merrifield said all three deputies involved were placed on administrative leave, per their departmental policy and standard protocol.
“I’m very appreciative to New Mexico State Police who, without any hesitation, assisted our office and began investigating the incident,” he said. “I will be issuing a department review and internal administrative investigation to ensure policies and procedures were followed. We never want situations to end like this one did. However, this will not prevent the continuous training I enforce to ensure we are prepared to respond to situations as such and to make certain the safety and well-being of my deputies comes first.”