Eerie stare of suspected gunman who killed boy, 14, and injured another in University of New Mexico shooting
John Fuentes is accused of opening fire on the teen as he was playing video games inside a dorm room with three other teens around 1:30am on Friday, according to police and the Santa Fe New Mexican.
A 19-year-old male student was also left injured in the mayhem. He later showed up at the hospital with gunshot wounds.
The teens were inside the Albuquerque dorm room inside the Casas del Rio complex when the shooting occurred. It is unclear why a 14-year-old was on a college campus or why gunfire erupted.
Panicked students were seen jumping out of windows after the shots ran out and the incident sparked a shelter in place alert as police frantically searched for the suspect.
Fuentes was arrested hours later and a booking photo shows him staring defiantly at the camera.
The shooting took place as first-year students were on campus for orientation. It is unclear if Fuentes was a student at the university or whose dorm room they were in.
Campus police responded to the incident in the early hours of Friday morning and observed blood and a broken window upon arrival.
While performing a security sweep, campus police discovered the 14-year-old's body in the dorm.
They notified the New Mexico State Police, who took over the investigation.
Authorities determined the four were inside the dorm room when shots rang out, striking the 14-year-old.
The three others, including Fuentes, 'fled from the room,' state police said.
More than 12 hours later, Fuentes was arrested in Valencia County during a traffic stop and he was taken into custody without incident.
He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence.
'This is a tragic incident that has had a deep impact on our entire community,' New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler said at a press conference.
Jaymar Tasi, who is an offensive lineman on the school's football team, said he was checking on his laundry when he heard four gunshots in the building.
His friends saw students jumping out windows and running from the building afterward, he told The Santa Fe New Mexican.
'I just ran upstairs, and I just went back in my room,' he said.
Mikey Beck, a student, said he heard gunshots overnight and saw what appeared to be an injured person hiding in some bushes. Two other people jumped out of a dorm window and ran, he told AP.
'It's really sketchy out here. Just being in Albuquerque is really scary,' he told the outlet.
The campus was placed on a shelter-in-place order out of an abundance of caution.
UNM President, Garnett S. Stokes, said in a statement: 'The safety of our campus and our community remains our utmost priority.
'We understand this incident may be especially distressing for new students and their families who are here this week for orientation. We want to assure everyone that we are fully committed to your safety and well-being.'
She went on to say that she was 'deeply saddened by the loss of life and horrified by this act of violence in our campus community'.
She also said orientation activities will continue as scheduled.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham extended her. 'deepest sympathies to the family of the individual who lost their life in this tragedy'.
'Let me be clear: New Mexico law prohibits firearms on campus unless carried by peace officers. New Mexico must do better at reducing gun violence, especially involving our young people. We will not accept this as normal,' she continued.
Mayor Tim Keller said his thoughts were with the victim's loved ones and the university community.
'We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of life that occurred today on the University of New Mexico campus,' Keller said in a statement.
The university in central Albuquerque has about 23,000 students during the school year. New students have been visiting as part of scheduled orientations ahead of the fall semester, which begins in about three weeks.
New Mexico's largest city has struggled with violent crime in recent years, particularly among juveniles.
District Attorney Sam Bregman, who is running for the Democratic nomination for governor, has called for state lawmakers to do more to address what he describes as a crisis.
The plea for legislative action comes amid violence in New Mexico involving young suspects, including a fatal hit-and-run in Albuquerque and a shooting in Las Cruces in March that killed three and wounded 15 others.
Prosecutors, law enforcement and Republican lawmakers have pressed Grisham, who is a Democrat, to convene a special legislative session to address the state's crime problem.
Despite voicing her disappointment with the Democratic-controlled Legislature at the end of the last session, the governor has not given recent indications that she will be calling lawmakers back to Santa Fe.
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