A long‑running neighborhood dispute in Las Cruces turned deadly on July 9, 2022, when 39‑year‑old Carlos Pichardo was fatally shot outside his home on the 900 block of South San Pedro Street. Pichardo and his wife, Fatima Ortiz, had earlier encountered their 80‑year‑old neighbor, James Theriault, on Theriault’s back porch. Ortiz began recording the encounter; Theriault then produced a 9mm handgun and opened fire. Ortiz was struck six times and survived long enough to give police a detailed account.

Pichardo moved to intervene and was shot in the abdomen; he later died at a local hospital. Las Cruces police responded to a 4:20 p.m. call and transported both victims. James Theriault was arrested in connection with the shooting, and his son, 35‑year‑old Cody Theriault, was charged with assisting his father in disposing of the firearm.

Did anyone in the neighborhood witness the shooting or the events that led up to it?