LEA COUNTY, N.M. —
The Lea County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man in connection to a deadly shooting in January.
At about 7:30 a.m. on January 3, LCSO deputies responded to a call about an unresponsive man who was seen lying near the intersection of Reed Road and Hillburn Road in Lovington.
The man was identified as Jeremy Holliman, 41, of Hobbs and his cause of death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the chest.
Further investigation and witness interviews revealed that Zachary R. Gonzales, 26, of Hobbs, shot Holliman during an attempted robbery. Holliman’s backpack was believed to have had drugs and a large sum of money in it.
Deputies tried to stop Gonzales when they found him driving on Grimes, near Kansas. He did not stop and continued driving, ignoring stop signs, before finally stopping near the intersection of Knowles and Colorado.
He was arrested and charged with murder in the first degree, attempt to commit a felony to wit robbery, conspiracy to wit robbery, firearms or destructive devices, receipt or possession by certain person and resisting, evading and obstructing an officer.
Gonzales is currently being held at the Lea County Detention Center.
