Man Arrested for Family Dollar Robbery and Shooting at Employee

A 37-year-old man has been taken into custody following an armed robbery and shooting at a Family Dollar store in Vado, New Mexico, on Monday, Oct. 28, according to the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office (DASO).

The suspect, identified as Ruben Jose Trujillo, was booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center and faces multiple charges, including armed robbery, aggravated burglary, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and criminal damage to property.

DASO reported that deputies responded to a report of gunfire at the Family Dollar store at 106 Vado Dr. shortly before 10 p.m. on Monday. The situation escalated to an armed robbery call as deputies made their way to the location.

According to the sheriff’s office, Trujillo entered the store armed with a firearm, took cash from two open registers, and fired a shot toward an employee, narrowly missing her, before fleeing the scene on foot. The employees had sought refuge in a back room when Trujillo entered.

DASO detectives reviewed the store’s security footage and developed a description of the masked suspect. Partial tattoos on the suspect’s neck and a shell casing left behind helped deputies identify Trujillo as the suspect.

During their investigation, DASO conducted surveillance on two locations associated with Trujillo. When he arrived at one of the addresses, deputies arrested him immediately.

A search warrant for Trujillo’s residence led to the discovery of evidence linking him to the Family Dollar robbery, as well as items connected to other recent robberies in Las Cruces, according to DASO. The Metro Narcotics Unit assisted DASO deputies and detectives in the around-the-clock operation that led to Trujillo’s arrest.

Source