ABQ sees first homicide of 2026 after recording lowest annual total in nearly a decade

It was about three hours into the new year when a burst of gunfire rang out in Downtown Albuquerque. Officers in the area spotted a man — with what appeared to be a rifle in his hands — running down Gold Avenue toward Eighth Street. 

The man was detained and officers traced his path backward, to a blue Ford parked along Gold. Behind the vehicle, the body of Alexander Wilson lay still.

The shooting death of the 25-year-old marked the first homicide of 2026 for the Albuquerque Police Department. The alleged triggerman, Peyton Reagan, 18, has been charged with an open count of murder and armed robbery.

While it didn't take long to record the first slaying of the year for the city, Albuquerque departed 2025 with a milestone of sorts — the lowest homicide total recorded in almost a decade.

The 65 homicides tallied last year represented a 34% drop in slayings from the 99 recorded in 2023 and 2024. The total is the lowest since 2016, when Albuquerque saw 61 homicides.

In between then and now, the city — which has historically had some of the highest crime rates in the nation — saw homicides steadily trend upwards. In 2021 and 2022 Albuquerque had back-to-back record high homicide totals, with 110 and 121 slayings, respectively. 

In 2025, there were an additional 11 homicides that APD detectives deemed justifiable, or in self-defense. Those cases are forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for a final determination on if charges will be filed.

According to APD, the majority of homicides last year, 27, were motivated by "individual disrespect," meaning a dispute of some sort between non-relatives. Seven were tied to domestic violence, eight were drug-related and another eight were committed during a robbery.

The motive behind Thursday morning's slaying is unclear. APD spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said charging documents against Reagan were sealed "while detectives continue to investigate."

Gallegos said around 2:53 a.m. officers in the Downtown area heard gunshots and saw a man, later identified as Reagen, running west on Gold "carrying what appeared to be a rifle." He said officers detained Reagan and "then searched the area where Reagan was running from."

Gallegos said police found a blue Ford vehicle and Wilson, who had multiple gunshot wounds, was on the ground nearby. He said Wilson died at the scene and Reagan was taken to a hospital briefly "after he had trouble breathing."

Gallegos said Reagan would be booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center by days-end.

Matthew Reisen is the editor of the News Desk for the Albuquerque Journal. Follow him on Twitter at @MReisen88, call him at 505-823-3563 or reach him via email at mreisen@abqjournal.com.