Crime
UNM Campus Shooter Identified as 18-Year-Old John Fuentes
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Authorities have provided new details regarding a deadly shooting that occurred early Friday morning at the University of New Mexico (UNM) campus.
Law enforcement officials have identified the suspect as 18-year-old John Fuentes, who was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals Friday afternoon in Valencia County.
According to investigators, four individuals were “hanging out” and playing video games inside a unit at the Casas del Rio student housing complex when the shooting took place.
A 14-year-old boy was fatally shot, and a 19-year-old man sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The motive for the shooting has not yet been confirmed, and officials say the circumstances that led to a 14-year-old being present in the campus residence remain unclear.
The identity of the deceased has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
The incident was reported just before midnight, prompting an immediate response from the UNM Police Department. Officers located the two victims and began securing the area.
Out of an abundance of caution, UNM placed the campus under lockdown and issued a shelter-in-place order while law enforcement worked to determine if the suspect was still on campus. That order has since been lifted, although the crime scene remains active.
Students housed in the nearby Gila building reported hearing four to five gunshots and described scenes of panic as people fled toward a nearby parking lot. Many students remained sheltered in place for hours overnight.
On Friday afternoon, UNMPD began conducting a staged and tactical evacuation of students from the affected areas, urging anyone still on campus not to move without police direction.
The New Mexico State Police have since taken over the investigation, which remains ongoing.
Officials have confirmed that Fuentes was located and arrested without incident in Los Lunas around 2:30 p.m. They believe this was an isolated incident, and no additional suspects are being sought.
The shooting occurred during new student orientation, and officials have confirmed that incoming freshmen, including members of the UNM football team, were residing on the fourth floor of the student housing complex at the time.
At this point, there is no indication that any enrolled students—current or incoming—were directly involved in the incident.
Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to contact the UNM Police Department at (505) 277-2241 or reach out anonymously to Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers at (505) 843-7867 or through their website at www.crimestoppersnm.com.
Authorities have identified the man shot and killed Friday afternoon in a parking lot outside a Little Caesars restaurant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
The victim has been named as Stevens Jeffrey, 29, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The shooting occurred in the 2600 block of West Cermak Road near Rockwell Street at approximately 1:10 p.m., according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
Preliminary reports indicate that Jeffrey was sitting in his vehicle when he was approached by an unknown vehicle.
An armed individual exited that vehicle and opened fire, striking Jeffrey multiple times in the face and body.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene, where Jeffrey was pronounced dead. He was discovered inside his vehicle with his two young children, ages 4 and 6, who were unharmed.
Both children were transported to Stroger Hospital for precautionary evaluation.
The shooting took place in the parking lot of a Little Caesars restaurant, where investigators recovered multiple shell casings and placed numerous evidence markers on the ground.
As of Friday evening, no suspects are in custody, and detectives from the CPD Area Four Homicide Unit are leading the investigation. Police have not released information on a possible motive.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about this homicide to contact Chicago Police or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTip.com.