LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) - Police in a northern New Mexico city are investigating four homicides but giving few details.

The Las Vegas Police Department has denied three open records requests made by the Las Vegas Optic newspaper under New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act and are refusing to provide any information about the cases, The Las Vegas Optic reports .

To date, charges have been filed in just one case.

The first homicide occurred June 15 when Cruz Gallegos was shot and killed inside a home.

On July 22, Leroy Lucero died from multiple gunshot wounds while outside another home.

Less than two weeks later, on Aug. 3, Marcos “Mark” Carrillo was found dead from a single gunshot wound inside a house. About a half-hour prior, Gilbert Montoya was found bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds nearby.

The city of Las Vegas has denied the newspaper’s request, refusing to release any documents in any of the three cases.

Las Vegas Cmdr. Steve Pacheco told the newspaper that police could not provide the records sought because doing so could compromise the investigations.

These records include radio and dispatch logs, 911 tapes and any original records of entry compiled chronologically.

Melanie Majors, the executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, said any original records of entry from law enforcement agencies are public record.

“The public has the right to not only question what its government is doing, but to see what its government is doing,” Majors said. “Records are supposed to be released when they’re asked for. That’s the whole point. As a taxpayer, you have paid for that information.”

Pacheco declined to release redacted versions of police reports, saying he didn’t want it to look like the department was hiding something.

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Information from: Las Vegas Optic, http://www.lasvegasoptic.com

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