At approximately 1:36 a.m., UNM PD officers responded to an alarm call at Mesa Vista Hall. Upon arrival, officers observed broken windows and suspected blood.
UNM PD officers later received a phone call from a woman who had a family member on campus who heard the gun shots.
UNM PD officers then received another phone call from UNMH that a 19-year-old male came in with a gunshot wound and stated he had been shot at UNM campus.
As UNM officers were conducting a security sweep of the surrounding buildings, they made entry and located a deceased 14-year-old male inside one of the dorms.
Investigators believed this to be an isolated incident but in an abundance of caution, a shelter in place was issued by UNM PD to preserve any evidence.
NMSP investigators were notified and later arrived on scene to take over the investigation. The initial investigation has determined that the incident involved four individuals who were hanging out in a dorm room in the Casas Del Rio complex. At some point, for reasons still being investigated, the suspect began shooting a firearm at the other occupants in the room. The 14-year-old victim was fatally shot while the other occupants, along with the suspect, fled from the room.
The suspect was identified as John Fuentes (18). At around 2:30 p.m. Fuentes was located and arrested by NMSP in Valencia County, NM without incident.
Fuentes was arrested and booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on the charges of:
Murder in the first degree
Aggravated battery
Aggravated assault
Tampering with evidence
We want to thank our fellow law enforcement partners, UNM PD, Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, and the ATF for their assistance in this case.
This incident remains under investigation by the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau.
