Police: Arguments behind Kilby Motel interrupted by shooting

LAS CRUCES - Prosecutors want a judge to keep a man accused of shooting at a group of people in jail as he awaits trial.

Johnny Whelan was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at a motor vehicle, possession of a firearm by a felon, and tampering with evidence.

According to an affidavit, two arguments broke out behind the Kilby Motel on Jan. 13, 2022. The affidavit does not mention what time the incident occurred.

One argument was between a group of three men and the other was between two women and a man. It's unclear from the affidavit if Whelan was connected to either group. As the arguments continued, police said that Whelan and another man pulled up to the group of men on bicycles.

Police said Whelan then revealed a sawed-off shotgun wrapped in cloth. As the group of men realized this, police said they hopped into their nearby vehicle and attempted to flee. Whelan shot once at the vehicle before biking away and in front of a nearby patrol officer.

According to the affidavit, the patrol officer noticed Whelan attempting to conceal the shotgun.

When he was interviewed by police, Whelan denied being involved in the shooting. He said that he heard the shot fired but was unaware of its origin. However, the incident was caught on a nearby security camera. According to the affidavit, the security camera footage depicts the arguments, then the shooting, then Whelan fleeing.

After his arrest, prosecutors with the 3rd Judicial District Attorney's Office filed a motion seeking to keep Whelan in jail as he awaits trial. A hearing scheduled for Jan. 21 was continued into next week to allow Whelan and his attorney time to review the motion.

Whelan is being held in the Doña Ana County Detention Center as of the publication of this article.

Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com or on Twitter @Just516garc.

Others are reading:

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Police: Arguments behind Kilby Motel interrupted by shooting