An 18-year-old suspect has been arrested in a shooting at a University of New Mexico dormitory that left a 14-year-old boy dead and wounded a 19-year-old early Friday morning, authorities said.
The incident involved four individuals who were reportedly playing video games in a dorm room at Casas del Rio, a privately owned on‑campus housing complex in central Albuquerque, UNM Police Chief Joseph Silva said at a news conference Friday night.
Police initially responded to an alarm at nearby Mesa Vista Hall shortly after 1:30 a.m. When officers arrived, they found broken windows and what appeared to be blood at the scene.
“While conducting a sweep of nearby buildings, UNM police located a deceased 14-year-old male inside a room at the Casas del Rio dormitory,” Silva said.
Around the same time, a 19-year-old male arrived at UNM hospital, saying he had been shot on campus.
New Mexico State Police took over the investigation shortly before 4 a.m. Preliminary findings indicated that four individuals were “hanging out in a dorm room at the Casas del Rio complex” when, for reasons still under investigation, the suspect began shooting at the other occupants, State Police Chief W. Troy Weisler told reporters.
The three other individuals fled the room after the gunfire.
Using license plate reader technology, investigators identified and located the suspected shooter, who was arrested without incident around 2:30 p.m. during a traffic stop in Valencia County. He was riding in a vehicle with a family member at the time, officials said.
The suspect, identified as 18-year-old Joen Fuentes, faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery and tampering with evidence.
Authorities are still investigating how the suspect is connected to the victims.
“Part of our investigation is to determine why the individuals were there and to gather more details about what exactly transpired immediately before and after the shooting,” Weisler said.
Most of the campus was placed under a shelter-in-place order after the shooting, which was lifted later Friday afternoon. The campus fully reopened Saturday for “all planned activities.”
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