On August 16, 2021, at approximately 7:30 p.m., 40-year-old Ezekiel Diaz was fatally shot in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The incident occurred near the intersection of Lohman Avenue and Walnut Street, where Diaz had parked and exited his black SUV. Witnesses reported hearing a gunshot and observed a gray Toyota leaving the scene. Upon arrival, police found Diaz lying near the driver's side of his vehicle; an autopsy later confirmed he had been struck in the chest by a single gunshot.
Investigators determined that Diaz had an ongoing dispute with 29-year-old Jimmy Levi Rogers, which had led to at least one prior confrontation. On August 17, police located Rogers' gray Toyota Corolla at a motel on West Picacho Avenue. Interviews with Rogers, 28-year-old Hector Victor Calderon—believed to be the passenger in Rogers' car during the shooting—and other acquaintances placed both suspects at the scene during the time of the crime.
Calderon was arrested on September 4 in Las Cruces and charged with an open count of murder, two counts of conspiracy, and one count of tampering with evidence. Rogers remained at large until September 22, when he was apprehended in California by the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. He faced the same charges as Calderon. Both men were held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center pending further legal proceedings.
