U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez held a press event in downtown Las Cruces following the mass shooting at Young Park.
The Congressman for New Mexico’s Second District gave his condolences to the families of the three deceased teenagers and 15 others who were injured, and praised first responders for their response to the shooting.
“I will work closely with law enforcement, and have been working closely with law enforcement, to ensure that they can do their job,” Vasquez said. “We owe it to the victims to ask hard questions and demand clear answers. We need to know how this happened, what signs were missed, and how we can close those gaps that allowed this violence to unfold.”
On Saturday, after the mass shooting, in a released statement, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said, "The legislature should expect a special session to address our ongoing public safety crisis.”
Representative Vasquez said he’d continue working with local leaders, as well as continue his support of federal legislation that would bring more funding to the LCPD. The congressman also affirmed his support for a federal bill that would require firearms on residential premises to be safely stored and secured.
“Our local leaders understand the nature of the problems that we face here, especially with juvenile crime. And so I would hope that everyone can work together, Republicans and Democrats, to bring real solutions to the table, whatever that looks like in the upcoming legislative special session.”
City officials are encouraging individuals affected by the shooting to visit the Family Assistance Center at the Las Cruces Convention Center, which will be open Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Other resources include the Doña Ana County Crisis Triage Center, as well as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
A correction was made to this story on 3/24/25 citing a released statement on March 22, 2025 by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham that stated, "The legislature should expect a special session to address our ongoing public safety crisis." The Governor has not called for a special session which was incorrectly printed in a previous version of this story.
