Fatal Shooting at University of New Mexico Campus Leads to Arrest

Early Friday morning, a shooting at a university dormitory resulted in one death and another person injured, prompting a campus-wide evacuation and a search for the suspect. The suspect was later apprehended and taken into custody, with authorities confirming the arrest in the evening.

Throughout the day, police kept the area around the residence halls sealed off with yellow tape as they conducted an investigation. The incident occurred inside a dorm building where the victims, who were visitors—not students—had been there to see a student.

Authorities arrived at the Casas del Río housing complex, which includes four buildings with over 1,000 furnished suite apartments, and found two individuals with gunshot wounds. One had died, and the other sustained non-life-threatening injuries. As a precaution, parts of the campus were evacuated earlier, with students and visitors gathered to board buses away from the scene.

Witness Mikey Beck, participating in new student orientation, reported hearing gunshots overnight and seeing an injured person hiding in nearby bushes. He also described two others jumping from a dorm window and fleeing the scene. Beck expressed concern about safety, noting the rising violence in Albuquerque.

The university, which hosts approximately 23,000 students, had called for a shelter in place while the investigation unfolded. The campus remains closed, and the main housing complex, Casas del Río, is under police supervision. Many students are now evacuating in anticipation of the upcoming fall semester.

The local city has faced increasing violence in recent years, especially among youth, with authorities and lawmakers urging for legislative action to combat the issue. Despite calls for a special session, gubernatorial officials have yet to confirm plans for new measures to address the crime crisis.