Inset: Dona Ana County Detention Center. Background: The Las Cruces, N.M., neighborhood near the area where Lopez allegedly attempted to take his own life. (Google Maps).
A New Mexico woman’s attempt to protect her son ended in tragedy, leaving her dead and him in custody, authorities in the Land of Enchantment say.
Lawrence Lopez, 32, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of his 58-year-old mother, Tina Lucero, the Las Cruces Police Department said.
The fatal incident unfolded late on July 1 inside the family’s residence on Los Ranchitos Road in Las Cruces, a sizable city situated roughly midway between White Sands National Park and El Paso, Texas.
Earlier that evening, Lopez and Lucero had gone out to dinner, according to police records obtained by El Paso-based Fox affiliate KFOX.
Authorities said other relatives joined them for the meal. During dinner, Lopez allegedly described a string of paranoid fears, including claims that cars and drones were tracking him and that someone had hacked his phone, police said.
Once Lopez and his mother returned home and were alone, he allegedly continued voicing those concerns, while also expressing frustration that he believed Lucero was not taking him seriously, according to the criminal complaint.
At some point, investigators said, Lopez told his mother he wanted to die, produced a firearm, pointed it at his own head and allegedly taunted her with the idea that she would have to live with the image and aftermath of his potential suicide, based on statements police said he later gave them.
“I’m gonna make you remember this for the rest of your life,” the son allegedly told his mother. “You gotta see me shoot myself.”
After those comments, the mother leaped into action and went for the gun to disarm her son, the defendant allegedly told investigators. During the ensuing struggle, the gun went off, police said.
The bullet went through Lopez’s left hand and into his mother’s chest, according to law enforcement. The defendant himself then called 911 and his brother. The defendant’s sibling rushed over to the residence to perform CPR on their mother, but Lucero was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Lopez was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for his gunshot wound and then released before being arrested.
The defendant is being detained in the Dona Ana County Detention Center with no bond, jail records show.
