
(Deming) – A 17-year-old Columbus boy was killed in a one-vehicle rollover accident early Sunday morning.
State Police Lt. Robert McDonald said the teen, identified as Luis Chavez-Flores, was a passenger in a 1998 blue Ford Expedition travelling south on the Columbus Highway at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday when the accident occurred.
Chavez-Flores, the driver, 20-year-old Jose Madrid, and another passenger, 17-year-old Cynthia Rodriguez, were all ejected from the vehicle during the rollover. Chavez-Flores was pronounced dead at the scene; Madrid and Rodriguez were treated and released.
McDonald said the accident occurred near mile marker 12 – or 12 miles north of Columbus.
A Border Patrol agent who witnessed the accident said the Expedition drifted out of its lane and off the pavement before rolling.
McDonald said alcohol is believed to have been a factor. The accident is still under investigation.