According to police on Saturday, a shooting at a park in Las Cruces, a desert city in New Mexico, left 3 people dead and 15 injured. The incident stemmed from a dispute between two groups, which eventually escalated into a violent confrontation.
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03-25, 2025Police stated in a press conference that officers and firefighters rushed to Young Park just after 10 p.m. on Friday, finding a scene of chaos. An unauthorized car show had attracted approximately 200 people to gather there at the time. The victims of the shooting ranged in age from 16 to 36, and they were either treated at the scene or transported to hospitals.
Police Chief Jeremy Story said that 50 to 60 handgun shell casings were scattered throughout the park, indicating that multiple shooters and various weapons were involved. It is believed that "malice" between the two groups led to the shooting. Several others were injured in the crossfire. Police have identified the deceased as a 16-year-old boy and two men aged 18 and 19, but have not released the names of the deceased and injured.
Local police are conducting the investigation with assistance from the New Mexico State Police, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Las Cruces Fire Chief Michael Daniels said that 11 injured individuals were transported to three local hospitals or the University Medical Center of El Paso, which is the region's trauma center. As of Saturday, seven injured individuals were being treated in El Paso, with four having been treated and released, and the condition of the remaining four unknown.
Authorities are seeking videos from inside the park and tips from those who were present to identify suspects. Story stated, "This horrific, senseless act is a stark reminder of the blatant disregard for law and order that people in New Mexico have." He vowed that authorities would find all those responsible and "bring them to justice." Story acknowledged that illegal car shows at Young Park are not uncommon, and past police deployments were larger. He added that due to being short-staffed on Friday, he "did not have available police resources for the majority of the evening."
City Councilor and acting Mayor Johana Bencomo posted on Instagram on Saturday, expressing grief over the shooting. She said, "Part of me wants to write, this is the kind of thing you never think will happen in your city, but that actually feels very untrue. Honestly, tragedies like this feel like a nightmare that could happen at any time, but also always praying and hoping it never does." Mayor Eric Enriquez called on people to support the victims, their families, and the community, to come together after this "senseless" event.
According to local media reports, police remained on the scene on Saturday, and the area around the park was closed to traffic. Story said, "This is a huge crime scene with a lot of moving parts. It's going to take time to thoroughly process and get everything reopened." In Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, the state Senate held a late-night moment of silence after learning of the shooting. The shooting has cast a shadow over Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and the state legislature's efforts to find effective solutions to address persistently high crime rates and gun violence.
Lujan Grisham stated that she was heartbroken for the families of the victims, while also expressing anger and disappointment that more public safety bills did not make it to her desk before the end of the legislative session on Saturday at noon. "We don't have enough tools, we are not bringing accountability to these communities," she said at a press conference. "I am so sorry for the individuals whose lives are forever changed, for a community that will be destroyed." Lujan Grisham recently signed a package of measures strengthening penalties for vehicle theft, fentanyl trafficking, and threats of school shootings, as well as a ban on devices that convert guns into automatic weapons.
Legislators passed a comprehensive overhaul of the state's "red flag" gun law, under which guns can be temporarily removed from people who may pose a danger, and increased funding for addiction and mental health treatment. But the governor sharply criticized lawmakers for a lack of progress on juvenile justice reform and highlighted the number of weapons used in the Las Cruces shooting. "These tragedies have to end," she said. "The number of guns that are getting into parks, schools, churches, grocery stores, gatherings, cars, has to stop."
Las Cruces is located on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico, about 70 kilometers from the US-Mexico border.
