Elijah Daniel Venegas, 24, was shot and killed in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on the morning of April 3, 2024. Police responded shortly after 6 a.m. to reports of gunfire on the 2100 block of Lester Avenue and found Venegas with at least one gunshot wound; he was taken to a hospital and died a short time later.

Investigators say the shooting grew out of a domestic dispute at a home on Lester Avenue where Venegas and his girlfriend were staying. The girlfriend called a friend, 22-year-old Bernardo Hernandez Jr., for a ride. After Hernandez arrived, he and Venegas argued and then engaged in a physical confrontation. Hernandez reportedly retrieved a firearm and fired multiple times at Venegas, then fled on foot toward nearby Lynn Middle School, discarding evidence on school property. Officers located and arrested Hernandez on the northeast side of the school grounds.

Hernandez told police he shot Venegas in self-defense, saying Venegas hit both the girlfriend and Hernandez and appeared to be reaching for a weapon; he admitted shooting Venegas as he was running away. Authorities charged Hernandez with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, and he was booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center. As of December 2024, he was held without bond while awaiting trial.

Did anyone in the area witness the confrontation on Lester Avenue or the events that followed near Lynn Middle School?