Las Cruces shooting: 3 teens, 1 adult charged with murder

LAS CRUCES — A Las Cruces man and three teens are in custody, each facing three open counts of murder, following a deadly gun battle Friday night at Young Park that left three dead and more than a dozen injured.

Las Cruces police announced the arrests Sunday and said additional charges were pending as the investigation continues.

Tomas Rivas, 20, was booked into Doña Ana County Detention Center and is being held initially without bond. Jail records indicate he was booked early Sunday morning, around 2:50 a.m. He was arrested at a residence on the north side of Las Cruces, according to jail records. Court records show no prior criminal history for Rivas in New Mexico. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

Two 17-year-old boys and one 15-year-old boy, unidentified because they are minors, have been incarcerated in the juvenile section of the Doña Ana County Detention Center, police said. The arrests of the second 17-year-old and the 15-year-old were announced Sunday afternoon, hours after police announced the arrest of Rivas and the first 17-year-old.

Police did not say whether additional suspects or persons of interest were being sought.

The shooting rocked a city that has not seen violence on this scale since an unsolved mass murder at a local bowling alley 35 years ago that claimed five lives.

The Young Park shooting came at the end of a legislative session in Santa Fe, where Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tore into lawmakers for not doing enough to address juvenile crime. The governor said a special session to address the issue was likely.

Gunfire erupted a little after 10 p.m. Friday amid a gathering of hundreds of people at an unsanctioned car show, injuring 15 people between the ages of 16 and 36, and killing three. The deceased were identified Sunday as Dominick Estrada, 19; Jason Gomez, 17; and Andrew “AJ” Madrid, 16. Police have not released the names of those injured.

“Nothing really felt off, it was like a normal night,” Christian Salas told the Journal. The 18-year-old was at the park showing off his lowered ’98 Chevy truck, accompanied by his younger brother. As shots erupted, the two ran for cover inside the park; neither was hurt.

Salas said the presence of guns is nothing unusual at the gatherings, even to hear shots fired into the air, but the displays were generally for show. “It gets pretty big, pretty rowdy and reckless. … For them to actually hit someone is truly something new.”

The investigation at Young Park continued through Saturday night. Officers recovered dozens of casings throughout the park and parking area, cordoning off the entire perimeter of the park and a portion of Walnut Street. The park reopened Sunday morning.

Las Cruces police are leading the investigation with the assistance of New Mexico State Police, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Explosives, the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A vigil honoring victims, survivors and their loved was held Sunday evening at a local church.

The Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico has established a fundraising initiative for the victims.