Suspect in custody after shooting on University of New Mexico campus leaves 14-year-old boy dead
By Dalia Faheid, Rebekah Riess, CNN
(CNN) — An 18-year-old suspect is in custody after an early Friday morning shooting at University of New Mexico student housing left a 14-year-old boy dead and injured another person during orientation week, police said.
Four people were playing video games in a dorm room at a student housing complex when “the suspect began shooting a firearm at the other occupants of the room,” New Mexico State Police Chief W. Troy Weisler said in a Friday night news conference.
“The 14-year-old victim was fatally shot and remained at that location, where he was later found,” Weisler said. “The other occupants, along with the gunman, fled from the room.”
The gunfire triggered a temporary shelter-in-place order and evacuations at the university as police searched the campus for the suspect.
With the help of license plate readers, police later tracked the suspect – identified as John Fuentes – to Valencia County, where he was taken into custody around 2:30 p.m. local time at a traffic stop while he was in a vehicle with a family member, according to Weisler.
It’s unclear how the suspect is connected to the three others in the room. The motive behind the shooting is also under investigation, Weisler said.
The police chief said investigators are working “to determine why the individuals were there and to get further details of what exactly transpired, immediately preceding and following the shooting.”
The shooting appeared to be an isolated incident and there are no other threats to the campus, Weisler said. Police also believe no other suspects were involved.
This latest college campus shooting marks at least 33 US school shootings so far this year, according to a CNN analysis. Of those, 14 shootings have been reported on K-12 campuses and 19 on university and college campuses.
University of New Mexico Police Department Chief Joseph Silva said it was “a difficult and heartbreaking day for the University of New Mexico.”
“We want to offer our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the individual that lost their life in this morning’s shooting,” Silva said Friday evening. “Our hearts also go out to the person who was injured and to everyone in our campus community who have been affected by this tragedy.”
Weisler added that “it’s a scene that we’ve seen all too often.”
The shooting occurred during new student orientation on Thursday and Friday at the university, which has around 23,000 students during the school year. New students were being housed in residence halls overnight.
“We understand this incident may be especially distressing for new students and their families who are here this week for orientation,” university president Garnett Stokes said Friday afternoon, adding future orientation activities will continue with supports in place. “We want to assure everyone that we are fully committed to your safety and well-being.”
It also comes as students prepare for the start of the fall semester on August 19.
“We are committed to moving forward together with vigilance, compassion, and renewed dedication to the safety of all Lobos,” Silva said.
Shooting leads to evacuations
Responding officers were confronted by “a very dynamic situation” after receiving multiple differing calls early Friday, Silva said.
Around 1:36 a.m. local time on Friday, University of New Mexico police responded to an alarm at Mesa Vista Hall and found broken windows and blood, police said.
About an hour later, the University of New Mexico Hospital reported a 19-year-old man had arrived with a gunshot wound and stated that he had been shot on campus.
While conducting a sweep of nearby buildings, university police found the 14-year-old dead at Casas del Rio, a student housing center in Albuquerque.
The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau was called to investigate around 3:45 a.m.
Campus police began evacuating students Friday afternoon while processing the crime scene, according to the university’s emergency alert system.
State and local law enforcement responded to the scene and the area was secured, Stokes said in a news release Friday afternoon.
The university’s Albuquerque central campus remains closed “out of an abundance of caution” and people have been asked to avoid the area, the university said late Friday afternoon. The campus will be open on Saturday, according to the university website.
The injured victim, who had non-life-threatening injuries, is being treated at a hospital, university officials said Friday afternoon.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and horrified by this act of violence in our campus community,” Stokes said. “Our thoughts and prayers go to the loved ones and friends of those lost and injured.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
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