Veteran's Death Sparks Lawsuit Against Las Cruces Police, Dispatch Company
Marisa Ong, Senior Counsel at Singleton Schreiber, is featured in a June 27, 2026 Albuquerque Journal article covering a wrongful death lawsuit against the Las Cruces Police Department and its dispatch company.
Ong represents the family of Jacob Garcia, a 28-year-old Army veteran who died after calling 911 on April 17, 2025, to report that he was armed and intended to take his own life.
The lawsuit alleges responding officers failed to make contact with Garcia, canceled responding fire and medical units, and left without conducting a welfare check, and that dispatch failed to escalate the situation after a second report of Garcia's suicidal intent. The case raises significant questions about emergency response protocols during mental health crises and the duty owed by police and dispatch personnel in those moments.
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