Santa Fe police shoot and wound man in Denny's parking lot

Sept. 5 – Santa Fe police shot and wounded a man in the parking lot of Denny's restaurant on Cerrillos Road Wednesday night, saying he pointed a handgun at two police officers immediately before others at the scene shot at him.

Jesus Rafael Contreras, 41, is accused of two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday morning in Santa Fe County District Court.

Police were called to the area after Contreras made several 911 calls to the emergency dispatch center. An arrest warrant affidavit states that Contreras told officers he was armed and suicidal.

An officer arrived at the scene at 9:35 p.m., the affidavit states, after officers searched the area for the caller — including the nearby Smith's grocery store and Allsup's gas station. The officer used a public address system to communicate with Contreras, who was sitting in a white Chevy Blazer in the Denny's parking lot.

At 9:46 p.m., Contreras exited the vehicle, “hiding his right hand,” police wrote in the affidavit. Two minutes later, he raised a revolver in his right hand and aimed it at two police officers who had arrived at the scene. He “cocked the hammer” and “readied it to fire,” the affidavit states.

Several other officers then shot and injured Contreras, police wrote.

The New Mexico State Police have launched an investigation into the shooting, the agency announced Wednesday evening on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The statement said: “Officer OK, suspect injured.”

Santa Fe Deputy Police Chief Ben Valdez declined to provide further information on the shooting Thursday morning, referring questions to state police. He said the city government plans to issue a press release on the incident.

Police were still investigating the incident at the scene Thursday morning, with the restaurant's parking lot cordoned off and one block of Cerrillos Road closed to traffic.

This is a developing story. Check back later for more details.