Arrests in shooting that killed 3 and hurt 15 at park in Las Cruces, NM

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A 20-year-old man and two teens have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with Friday night’s shooting at a park in Las Cruces, New Mexico, that left three people dead and 15 others hurt, authorities said Sunday.

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Tomas Rivas and a 17-year-old male were taken into custody Saturday evening and a second 17-year-old male was arrested Sunday morning, according to a statement from the city of Las Cruces. Each could face a murder charge and additional charges were pending, the statement said.

It wasn’t known Sunday if the defendants had attorneys. A message was sent to the public defender’s office in Dona Ana County inquiring whether its attorneys were representing them.

Gunfire erupted shortly around 10 p.m. Friday at Young Park, where an altercation broke out after an unauthorized car show had drawn about 200 people to the park in the desert city, police said. Nine male and six female gunshot victims ranging in age from 16 to 36 were treated there or taken to hospitals.

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Andrew Madrid, 16, and Jason Gomez, 18, died at the scene and Dominick Estrada, 19, died later at a hospital, according to the city statement.

Authorities were seeking video from the park and tips from those present as the investigation continued Sunday.

The police and fire departments, along with community groups, offered support for victims and their family members Sunday at the Las Cruces Convention Center.

“Crisis counseling, spiritual counseling and connecting victims with local resources and financial assistance will be provided,” the city statement said. “Anybody impacted by this tragedy is encouraged to attend.”

Between 50 and 60 handgun casings were scattered across a wide swath of the park, Police Chief Jeremy Story said Saturday, suggesting there were multiple shooters and multiple weapons.

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Fire Chief Michael Daniels said 11 patients were sent to three local hospitals or the regional trauma center, University Medical Center of El Paso. As of Saturday, he said, seven victims were in El Paso, four had been treated and released and the conditions of the other four were not known.

Local police were being assisted by New Mexico State Police, the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Story acknowledged Saturday that illegal car shows at Young Park are not uncommon and that the police presence has been larger in the past. Understaffing on Friday, he said, meant he had “no units available for most of the night.”

Las Cruces sits on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico, about 40 miles (70 km) from the U.S.-Mexico border.

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