Crime
UNM Campus Shooting Victim Identified as 14-Year-Old Michael Lamotte
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau is actively investigating a fatal shooting that occurred early Friday, July 25, 2025, at Mesa Vista Hall on the University of New Mexico (UNM) campus.
According to a statement from New Mexico State Police (NMSP), the investigation was initiated at the request of the University of New Mexico Police Department (UNMPD) following reports of gunfire inside the dormitory complex.
At approximately 1:36 a.m., UNM police officers responded to an alarm activation at Mesa Vista Hall.
Upon arrival, officers discovered broken windows and what appeared to be blood near the scene.
Shortly afterward, UNMPD received a phone call from a concerned woman who stated that her family member, who was on campus, had reported hearing gunshots.
Shortly thereafter, officers were notified by the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) that a 19-year-old male had arrived at the emergency department with a gunshot wound.
The individual reported that he had been shot on campus.
While conducting a security sweep of the surrounding buildings, UNMPD officers entered one of the dorm rooms in the Casas del Rio complex and discovered the body of a 14-year-old male, later identified as Michael Lamotte.
He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Out of an abundance of caution and to preserve critical evidence, a shelter-in-place order was issued for the campus. NMSP investigators responded and assumed control of the case.
According to the preliminary investigation and details in the criminal complaint, four individuals had gathered in the dorm room to play video games.
At some point, for reasons still under investigation, one of the individuals, later identified as 18-year-old John Fuentes, allegedly produced a firearm and began shooting at the others.
Michael Lamotte was fatally shot during the incident.
Another teenager sustained a gunshot wound to the head but survived.
Following the shooting, all surviving individuals, including Fuentes, fled the room.
By approximately 2:30 p.m. the same day, Fuentes was located and apprehended by NMSP in Valencia County, New Mexico.
He was taken into custody without incident at a smoke shop off NM 314 in Los Lunas. An older woman who was in the vehicle with Fuentes at the time was detained but later released.
Fuentes was transported to and booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on the following charges:
- First-degree murder
- Aggravated battery
- Aggravated assault
- Tampering with evidence
New Mexico State Police have indicated that the investigation remains ongoing and that additional charges may be forthcoming for individuals who may have assisted Fuentes after the shooting.
Authorities urge anyone with relevant information to come forward as investigators continue to gather evidence in this tragic and deeply disturbing incident.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subject’s vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.