LAS CRUCES, New Mexico, USA (AP) — Authorities reported Sunday that a 20-year-old man and two teenagers have been detained on murder charges linked to the Friday night shooting at a park in Las Cruces, New Mexico, which resulted in three fatalities and 15 injuries.
Tomas Rivas and a 17-year-old male were taken into custody Saturday evening and a second 17-year-old male was arrested Sunday morning, according to a statement from the city of Las Cruces. Each could face a murder charge and additional charges were pending, the statement said.
It wasn’t known Sunday if the defendants had attorneys. A message was sent to the public defender’s office in Doña Ana County inquiring whether its attorneys were representing them.
Gunfire erupted shortly around 10 p.m. Friday at Young Park, where an altercation broke out after an unauthorised car show had attracted around 200 people to the park in the desert city, police said. Nine male and six female gunshot victims ranging in age from 16 to 36 were treated there or taken to hospitals.
Andrew Madrid, 16, and Jason Gomez, 18, died at the scene and Dominick Estrada, 19, died later at a hospital, according to the city statement.
Authorities were seeking video from the park and tips from those present as the investigation continued Sunday.
Officials said the police and fire departments, along with community groups, would provide support for victims and their families from Sunday to Tuesday at the Las Cruces Convention Centre.
“Crisis counseling, spiritual counseling and connecting victims with local resources and financial assistance will be provided,” the city statement said. “Anybody impacted by this tragedy is encouraged to attend.”
Between 50 and 60 handgun casings were scattered across a large area of the park, Police Chief Jeremy Story said Saturday, indicating the involvement of several shooters and various weapons.
Fire Chief Michael Daniels said 11 patients were transported to three nearby hospitals or the regional trauma centre, University Medical Centre of El Paso. As of Saturday, he said, seven victims were in El Paso, four had received treatment and been released, while the conditions of the remaining four were unknown.
Local police were being assisted by New Mexico State Police, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Story acknowledged that illegal car shows at Young Park are not uncommon and that the police presence has been larger in the past. Understaffing on Friday, he said, meant he had “no units available for most of the night.”
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, who represents the district where the shooting occurred, said he hopes local authorities can work together to support the car community and improve public security in the park.
“Because clearly, what we saw at Young Park was a chaotic event, a lawless event, where folks were not only in danger from firearms, but people were in danger from being run over from the cars that were spinning out in the parking lot. There were children there, and there were adults there,” Vasquez said during a news conference Sunday.
