Investigations into Friday’s shooting in Young Park are continuing. As it stands, three juveniles and one adult have been arrested for their involvement in the shooting, which left three teenagers dead and 15 other victims wounded amid what the Las Cruces Police Department is describing as an unsanctioned car show.
Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story led the press conference detailing the events of Friday night through redacted police body camera footage, images and 911 calls. Story said all four suspects have a history of criminal incidents, and that police recovered five firearms from the arrested suspects, three of which were reported as stolen.
“There is a potential for additional people to be charged with crimes related to this event, either through state or federal charges,” Story said.
Chief Story went on to say that juvenile crime is a problem throughout the state, and that nothing meaningful was accomplished at the state’s last legislative session to address those concerns.
“This is not about politics, but it is about policy,” Story said. “Police chiefs from across the state and the New Mexico Association of Chiefs of Police have been screaming from the rooftops about a very serious juvenile violent crime problem we have in New Mexico.”
City officials say that efforts are currently underway regarding solutions for intervention and youth diversion programs, and the city is looking to create a space in the coming weeks where young people can be brought into the current discourse.
