Authorities searching for suspect who gunned down man at New Mexico Tech

New Mexico State Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly gunned down a man — in a possible case of mistaken identity — on the New Mexico Tech Campus in Socorro on Wednesday night.

Anthony Alvarado, 21, is charged with an open count of murder, shooting at a motor vehicle, child abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the death of 22-year-old Quentin Sisneros.

“NMSP is actively searching for Alvarado, who remains at large; he is believed to be armed and dangerous,” Sgt. Ricardo Breceda, a State Police spokesperson, said in a news release Friday. “If sighted, community members should call 911 and avoid approaching him.”

The release states anyone with information on Alvarado should call State Police at 505-841-9256.

The incident drew a large law enforcement presence, but authorities and local officials were tight-lipped about what occurred, including whether anyone was injured or killed.

Following the shooting, the university sent a statement that no students or staff were involved and “there are no immediate threats to individuals.”

Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker released a statement Friday, stating, “I am deeply saddened by this loss and extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased.”

“I want to assure our community that public safety is our highest priority, and we are coordinating closely with law enforcement to ensure the situation is addressed as quickly and safely as possible,” Bhasker said.

Around 9 p.m. Wednesday, Socorro police received reports of a shooting on the New Mexico Tech campus near College Avenue and Leroy Place, south of the campus library, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Magistrate Court. In an adjacent parking lot, officers found Sisneros on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds.

Sisneros’ vehicle was pockmarked with bullet holes and casings littered the ground. He died at the hospital.

State Police took over the investigation and spoke to several witnesses who fled the shooting but came back to speak with officers.

A teenager told police he was talking to a woman, their cars parked side by side, when another vehicle pulled up, according to the affidavit. Alvarado, the mother of his child and another man were in the vehicle.

Police said the teen told them Alvarado got out of the vehicle with a rifle and pointed it at his face, “so close that (he) was able to push the barrel to the side.”

The teen told police a black sedan passed behind them and Alvarado fired numerous times at the car at “point blank range,” the affidavit states. The teen said Alvarado paced in the parking lot before running away as a bystander ran to help Sisneros, who was driving the black sedan.

The witnesses, including the woman who arrived with Alvarado, told police the teen’s cousin had recently slept with her, according to the affidavit. They said they believed Alvarado fired at the black sedan because it was similar to the one driven by the teen’s cousin.

“Agents learned that (Alvarado) was very upset about (the) infidelity, he was currently using a large amount of fentanyl and had threatened suicide with his rifle,” the affidavit states.

Socorro police told State Police that Alvarado was “known to carry a rifle with him wherever he goes” and had been recently stopped by officers while walking around with the firearm “in plain view.”