June 6 (UPI) -- A police officer in Las Cruces, N.M. has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after using a choke hold that killed a man in February.
According to a statement from the Las Cruces Police Department, on Feb. 29 Las Cruces Police Officer Christopher Smelser "utilized a vascular neck restraint technique" which resulted in the death of auto mechanic Antonio Valenzuela.