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Three Officers Shot in Apparent Ambush

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ROSWELL, N.M. —A man accused of wounding three Roswell police officers and killing two other people had been released from jail less than two hours before the early Monday shooting spree, a detention center official said.

Chaves County Detention Center administrator Alfonso Solis said David Vega, 47, was arrested for a petty misdemeanor involving a domestic dispute shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday. Vega paid a $300 bond and was released around 12:30 a.m. Monday.

At about 2 a.m., officers responded to a domestic call at the same house and Vega opened fire on them as he came out of the home.

“It appears that he had planned some sort of ambush,” police spokesman Travis Holley said.

Vega was hit when the officers returned fire, and he was flown to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. His condition was not released.

State police have him in custody at the hospital, Holley said.

The officers’ wounds were “somewhat superficial” and all three are expected to make a full recovery, Holley said. Two were treated at a Roswell hospital and released, while the third remained at the hospital.

When police entered the home after the shooting, they found two dead adults. The victims were not immediately identified, but Holley said it appeared they were related to Vega.

“This investigation is very, very fresh,” Holley said. “We’re withholding all the names involved because it does appear to be a family situation.”