Albuquerque – The New Mexico State Police (NMSP) has arrested an 18-year-old man following a deadly shooting that occurred early Friday morning on the campus of the University of New Mexico (UNM).
The shooting took place at Mesa Vista Hall around 1:36 a.m. on July 25. Officers with the University of New Mexico Police Department (UNM PD) responded to an alarm call and, upon arrival, found broken windows and suspected blood at the scene.
Shortly thereafter, UNM PD received a call from a woman who reported that her family member on campus had heard gunshots. Around the same time, UNM Hospital (UNMH) notified officers that a 19-year-old male had arrived with a gunshot wound and stated he had been shot on campus.
As officers conducted a security sweep of nearby buildings, they discovered a deceased 14-year-old male inside one of the dorm rooms in the Casas Del Rio complex. Investigators later determined that four individuals had been inside the dorm room at the time of the shooting. For reasons still under investigation, one of them began firing a gun at the others. The 14-year-old victim was fatally shot while the remaining individuals, including the suspect, fled.
UNM PD issued a shelter-in-place order out of caution and to protect evidence at the scene. NMSP investigators were then called in and took over the investigation.
At approximately 2:30 p.m., John Fuentes, 18, was located and arrested in Valencia County by NMSP without incident. He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on charges including:
- Murder in the first degree
- Aggravated battery
- Aggravated assault
- Tampering with evidence
The NMSP thanked its law enforcement partners for their assistance, including UNM PD, the Albuquerque Police Department, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, and the ATF.
This incident remains under active investigation by the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau.
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