Crime
Third Suspect Arrested in Connection to Las Cruces Mass Shooting
Las Cruces, NM – Authorities have arrested three suspects in connection with the deadly mass shooting that occurred at Young Park on Friday night, March 21, 2025.
Las Cruces police confirmed the arrests of Tomas Rivas-Hidalgo, 20; Nathan Giovani Rivas, 17; and 17-year-old Gustavo Dominguez.
All three suspects are facing three open counts of murder, with additional charges anticipated as the investigation continues.
Tomas Rivas-Hidalgo has been booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond.
Nathan Giovani Rivas and Gustavo Dominguez, as a juvenile, has been remanded to a juvenile detention facility.
Officials have identified the three individuals who lost their lives in the shooting:
- Andrew Madrid, 16
- Jason Gomez, 18
- Dominick Estrada, 19
Madrid and Gomez were pronounced dead at the scene, while Estrada was transported to MountainView Regional Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Additionally, 15 other victims, ranging in age from 16 to 36, sustained injuries during the attack.
Of those injured, nine are male and six are female. To protect their privacy, authorities have not released their names.
Authorities have confirmed that Gabriel Rickman is not connected to the mass shooting. After being interviewed by investigators, he was cleared of any involvement.
Officials also addressed rumors stemming from social media, including an image of a teenager holding an AR-style rifle.
A ballistic examination determined that 50 to 60 shell casings recovered from the scene were all from handguns, with no evidence linking the rifle in the image to the shooting.
Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story held a news conference on Saturday morning, where he reiterated that all shell casings collected were from handguns.
He also confirmed that the individual seen in the social media post holding a rifle had been interviewed by police and is not a suspect at this time.
The Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) is continuing its investigation in coordination with the FBI, ATF, New Mexico State Police, the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The shooting occurred shortly after 10 p.m. on Friday, March 21, 2025, in the parking lot of Young Park at 850 S. Walnut St.
Authorities responded to reports of gunfire and multiple victims. Several of the injured were transported to local hospitals, with seven later transferred to medical facilities in El Paso, Texas.
The conditions of the surviving victims have not been released at this time.
As part of the ongoing investigation, Young Park remains closed, and nearby roads continue to be restricted to through traffic as law enforcement officials process the crime scene.
Authorities are urging anyone with relevant information, photos, or videos from the incident to come forward to assist in the investigation.
AUSTIN, Texas — A man was taken into custody Saturday afternoon following a shooting inside the Austin Central Library that left one person seriously injured and prompted a large emergency response and temporary shelter-in-place order in the downtown area.
According to the Austin Police Department (APD), officers responded shortly after 12:00 p.m. to reports of gunfire inside the Austin Central Library, located at 710 W. César Chávez Street.
Upon arrival, police and Austin-Travis County EMS units found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound.
The individual was transported to a local hospital in serious but stable condition.
Assistant Police Chief Lee Rogers stated during a press briefing that the shooter fled the scene before officers arrived.
After an extensive search, the suspect—identified as 55-year-old Harold Newton Keene—was located and arrested in South Austin at approximately 1:25 p.m.
The library was safely evacuated, and the shelter-in-place alert was lifted shortly after Keene’s apprehension.
Authorities emphasized that the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident involving only one suspect and one victim.
“This was not an active shooter situation,” Rogers confirmed.
Preliminary reports and public records reveal that Harold Newton Keene has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple arrests for assault, family violence, terroristic threats, burglary, drug possession, and evading arrest.
He is described by law enforcement officials as a habitual violent offender who has had numerous prior run-ins with police.
Records indicate Keene was previously arrested for threatening a man with a firearm several months ago and, in a separate incident, assaulted another inmate while in custody at the Travis County Jail.
In both cases, prosecutors later declined to pursue charges.
Authorities have not yet released a possible motive for the shooting or confirmed whether the suspect and victim knew each other.
The Austin Police Department’s Major Crimes Division is leading the investigation.
Anyone with information related to the incident is urged to contact the Austin Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS.