APD releases video from Coronado mall shooting on Black Friday

As dozens of Black Friday shoppers ambled through the second-level walkways of the Coronado Center mall shortly before 4 p.m., a small gaggle of teenagers raced in between them, chasing after another teenager wearing an unzipped black sweater.

One of the pursuing teenagers, later identified by police as 15-year-old Isaiah Montoya, was carrying a gun.

The teens reached the north exit of the mall, between Zales and Boba Tea Company, where Montoya stopped the chase and walked toward the doors, yelling and apparently beckoning at the other teenager to come outside.

About 15 seconds later, a shot was fired at the building from outside. Almost everyone inside the mall — families and a man pushing a stroller among them — scattered, running away from the entrance, taking cover behind kiosks or, in at least one case, pointing after the shooter.

That was the scene that unfolded last week, according to surveillance video Albuquerque police released and described on Tuesday, that briefly sparked a panic that the mall was facing an active shooting before police quickly clarified otherwise.

In all, at least 117 officers, to include some police service aides, and a helicopter responded to the scene, Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said, though noting that many officers were already nearby monitoring a demonstration.

Albuquerque police Chief Harold Medina acknowledged the incident “shook the community to its very core.”

“This is a major shopping center, this is the biggest shopping day of the year, and it’s disappointing that the behavior of a few individuals could shed such a negative cloud on our city,” he said during a Tuesday news conference to discuss what took place.

The shooting unfolded after Montoya and the other teenager had an ongoing dispute over social media, the latter told police. The two ran into each other at the mall, where the other teenager told police he punched Montoya, kicking off the chase.

Nobody was injured in the shooting, and only one shot was fired, police said, leaving a bullet impact above the mall entrance. Police found a gun they believe was used in the shooting, a brass-colored CZ 75 B handgun, abandoned in a nearby bush — though the department is still running tests and analysis to link the firearm to the shooting and determine its origin.

Montoya turned himself in to police Sunday night and faces several charges, including shooting at an occupied building, unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon and criminal damage to property.

Second Judicial District Attorney Sam Bregman announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Montoya “will remain in custody as his case makes its way through the judicial process.”

Police responded quickly to the scene, with at least one arriving moments after the shot was fired. An off-duty Bernalillo County deputy also said he saw an armed teenager run through the mall before firing a shot outside, but police said he lost sight of him.

While the shooting was initially called in as a possible active shooter situation, police on Tuesday distinguished between that and what the incident actually turned out to be — a shooting in a populated area.

They also gave guidance for how the public should respond if they find themselves in either situation. For example, when escaping the scene, police said people should try to stop and assess where the shot or shots came from.

“We actually saw video where the individual fired the shot outside of the mall, individuals fled out of the mall through that door, which is probably not the safest of things for individuals to be doing,” Medina said. “As difficult as it is, take a breath and listen and see … the last thing you want to do is go in the wrong direction as to where you’re actually putting yourself in danger.”