Man charged after firing shots at Catholic church in New Mexico
A convicted felon has been charged after allegedly firing multiple rounds into the entrance of a Catholic church in New Mexico because of his religious beliefs and because he believed he was “the chosen one,” according to federal prosecutors.
The shooting happened at about 6 a.m. on May 4 at St. Genevieve’s Catholic Church in Las Cruces. Officers found five bullet holes in the church’s glass entrance and recovered five .380-caliber shell casings.
Surveillance footage showed a black Chevrolet Malibu pull into the church parking lot and stop near the entrance. A man exited the driver’s side, fired several rounds at the entrance with a handgun and drove away, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers encountered the same vehicle on May 11 while responding to an attempted burglary at Miller Guns & Ammo in Las Cruces. The driver was identified as 40-year-old Matthew Albain Alarcon.
Police later executed a search warrant on the vehicle and recovered a Lorcin L380 handgun. During an interview on May 14, Alarcon allegedly admitted that the firearm belonged to him and that he had fired at the church.
Alarcon told investigators that he carried out the shooting because of his religious beliefs and because he believed he was “the chosen one to do it,” according to the complaint.
Alarcon is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of a 2012 felony conviction in New Mexico for possession of a controlled substance. He is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Alarcon will remain in custody pending trial. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
