12-08-2023 11:08am

Alamogordo Arrest Highlights New Mexico Leading the Nation in Road Rage

Chris Edwards Editor

Nationwide someone is shot in a road rage incident every 16 hours. In Alamogordo on October 27, 2023, at approximately 5:41 PM, a report of shots fired in the area of Lavelle Road and Black Street was made to the Tularosa Basin Regional Dispatch Authority. The report advised a male subject was struck by gunfire during a road rage incident. The victim was able to drive himself to Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center where law enforcement began the investigation.

The investigation revealed 23-year-old Christian Luzano, during what appears to be a road rage incident, shot at the victim several times on Lavelle Road. Mr. Luzano then continued to chase the victim onto the Charlie Lee Memorial Relief Route and continued shooting at him before finally turning around and fleeing the area.

On December 6, 2023, Investigators placed Mr. Luzano under arrest on an Otero County Magistrate Court arrest warrant for the following offenses:

• Shooting at or from a Motor Vehicle (Resulting in Great Bodily Harm), a 2nd Degree Felony

• Aggravated Battery (Use of a Firearm) a 3rd Degree Felony

• Tampering with Evidence, a 3rd Degree Felony

• Negligent Use of a Deadly Weapon (Knowingly Endangering a Person or Property), a Petty Misdemeanor

Mr. Luzano is incarcerated at the Otero County Detention Center pending his appearance in Otero County Magistrate Court.

According to Everytown Research and Policy, New Mexico is at the top when it comes to road rage shootings. It analyzed numbers from the Gun Violence Archive Database and found from 2018 to 2022, road rage deaths more than doubled from 70 to 141.

Just last year, nationwide, someone was shot and injured or killed during road rage, on average, every 16 hours.

It also found, in New Mexico, roughly six people were shot for every million people.

Experiencing aggressive driving is not uncommon. According to a 2019 survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, about eight in 10 drivers reported at least one experience of aggressive driving.

Along with New Mexico, the other states with the highest rate of road rage shootings were Arizona, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wisconsin. These five states only make up about 8% of the U.S. population, but account for 20% of road rage shooting victims.