Suspect charged in nursing home shooting | Local news

A man charged in connection with a drive-by shooting outside a local nursing home has been released from jail pending trial.

Electronic court records show that New Mexico 5th Judicial District Judge James Hudson has ruled that Justin Bailey, 23, of Roswell, will be released on parole after his court appearance Friday in Roswell.

As part of his release conditions, Bailey is prohibited from leaving his residence without prior approval from the court.

Bailey was arrested at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the 300 block of East Country Club Road. He is charged with shooting from a motor vehicle, conspiracy to shoot from a motor vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and property damage over $1,000.

The criminal complaint filed in Chaves County District Court states that Bailey opened fire at a home owned by Tobosa Developmental Services in the first block of Lafayette Loop around 6 a.m. on August 11.

None of the five people who were in the home at the time, including three special needs patients and two employees, were injured in the shooting, but the lawsuit says the home and a van parked in the driveway were struck by gunfire, causing over $1,000 in damage.

The complaint states that surveillance video shows a black Dodge Charger with two people traveling south on Lafayette Loop. As the vehicle passes the residence, the driver allegedly fires several shots into the home from the passenger window before driving away.

The driver cannot be clearly identified in the video. However, the criminal complaint states that investigators were able to identify the man's physique and hairline based on the footage.

On Thursday, police found a vehicle matching the one seen in the video outside a home at 2300 South Richardson Avenue, which is listed in court records as Bailey's address.

Police later learned that Bailey was the registered owner of that vehicle, which, like the one seen in the video, had a passenger-side rim that was darker than the vehicle's rear rim.

Investigators believe Bailey was the shooter after reviewing a mugshot of him from December 2022 and police body camera footage from a June 30 encounter with police. They noted that Bailey's build and hairline matched those of the driver in surveillance video of the shooting.

Electronic court records did not list the name of an attorney representing Bailey who could be reached for comment before press time Saturday.