In the late hours of a Friday night in Deming, New Mexico, a dispute between two men escalated into a fatal encounter that left one of them, a 24-year-old Hispanic male named Irvinn Villalba, dead. On February 26, 2021, an altercation occurred between Villalba and another individual. Following this initial confrontation, both parties ended up in a dirt parking lot in the 300 block of West Pine Street.
As the vehicle in which Villalba was a passenger began to leave the parking lot, shots
were fired. Villalba was struck by the gunfire and was quickly driven to Mimbres Memorial Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his wounds and was pronounced dead at 12:41 a.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2021.
Deming police officers were dispatched to the hospital at 11:22 p.m. on the night of the shooting after receiving a report of a patient with a gunshot wound. Over the next five days, detectives conducted a thorough investigation, interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence. Their work led them to identify a suspect in the shooting.
The investigation resulted in the arrest of 25-year-old Carlos Valenzuela Jr. He was charged with an open count of murder in connection with Villalba's death. In addition to the murder charge, Valenzuela Jr. faced several other charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm by a felon, and tampering with evidence. He also had an outstanding arrest order for a probation violation.
