Family member: Cannon airman dies from gunshot

A Cannon Air Force Base airman shot in the head early Thursday has died, a cousin said.

Marcus Jimenez, 23, who grew up in Olton, Texas, suffered a gunshot wound to the head following Fourth of July festivities and died Monday evening in a Lubbock hospital, said Drew McCay.

Family members and friends posted hundreds of condolences on family Facebook pages Monday night and Tuesday, though Clovis police on Tuesday night declined to confirm the airman had passed.

Cannon officials did not respond to questions on Tuesday.

District Attorney Andrea Reeb said she plans to meet with Cannon officials today to determine whether her office or the Air Force will consider criminal charges in connection with the shooting.

No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the case and authorities have not said who they believe shot Jimenez.

A police news release on Thursday reported a 23-year-old man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a caller reported the shooting. The release said two people were drinking and “playing” with a gun.

“The 911 caller stated he had a friend ‘playing’ with a firearm,” said the release. “The caller stated they had been consuming alcoholic beverages and his ‘friend’ had been shot in the head.”

Officers were dispatched just after 2 a.m. to a residence at Paseo Village in northeast Clovis. The injured man was transported first to Plains Regional Medical Center and later to a hospital near Lubbock, said the release.

Neighbors at Paseo Village on Thursday identified the location of the incident to The News and said men were outside the house and celebrating. Beer bottles and spent fireworks were visible from the driveway.