Story final revised: 12:50 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20
LAS CRUCES — A College of New Mexico pupil is lifeless and a New Mexico State pupil athlete is recovering from gunshot wounds following an incident on the UNM campus early Saturday morning, suspending a extremely anticipated basketball sport between the rival colleges that had been scheduled to happen later that day.
On Sunday, greater than 24 hours after the capturing, there are nonetheless extra questions than solutions. Here is a have a look at what we all know.
The capturing
New Mexico State Police are main the investigation into the lethal capturing on the UNM campus. Although police launched a press release Saturday afternoon noting one individual died within the capturing, associated police data haven’t but been made accessible.
Within the assertion, police mentioned there was an altercation between a 19-year-old man and a 21-year-old man about 3 a.m. Saturday on campus. Each males sustained gunshot wounds.
The 19-year-old, later recognized as a UNM pupil, was pronounced lifeless on the scene. His title has not been launched.
The 21-year-old, whom the Solar-Information has confirmed is Mike Peake, a ahead on the NMSU basketball crew, was transported to an Albuquerque hospital following the capturing.
UNM college students who talked to the Solar-Information on Saturday night, mentioned they heard the capturing about 3:15 a.m. to three:20 a.m. close to a again entrance to the Coronado Corridor dorm complicated on campus. Police arrived inside 5 to 10 minutes, the scholars mentioned.
The Albuquerque Journal reported later Saturday that the partitions of the residence corridor “seemed to be pockmarked with a number of bullet holes and at the least one window seemed to be struck.”
As of late Sunday morning, nobody had been charged within the capturing, although police have said an investigation is ongoing.
Mike Peake shot
Peake, a 21-year-old junior, is the basketball crew’s beginning energy ahead.
A Chicago native, Peake spent most of highschool enjoying in Kansas. The 6-foot-7, 218-pound ahead performed at Georgia and Austin Peay earlier than coming to NMSU for the 2021-22 season.
Peake is considered one of two returning gamers on this yr’s Aggie hoops squad. Within the crew’s first two video games, he averaged 9 factors, 3.5 rebounds and a couple of blocks in simply over 20 minutes.
UNM-NMSU sport postponed
The NMSU and UNM groups had been scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. Saturday at The Pit in Albuquerque, however that sport was postponed after information of the capturing.
In a collection known as the Rio Grande Rivalry, the 2 basketball squads play one another twice yearly, every on the different’s residence courtroom.
Final yr, UNM defeated NMSU on the Pan American Middle in Las Cruces, whereas the Aggies beat the Lobos on a last-second shot at The Pit in Albuquerque.
Within the first of two scheduled video games this yr, The Pit was anticipating a close to sellout Saturday.
It is not clear whether or not the Albuquerque sport shall be rescheduled. For now, the groups are the scheduled to play in Las Cruces on Dec. 3.
NMSU’s subsequent scheduled sport is Friday, Nov. 25, when the Aggies journey to Las Vegas, Nevada, the place they’re scheduled to play San Diego within the first sport of the Las Vegas Invitational. NMSU would play both California-Irvine or Nicholls State on Nov. 26.
Officers from the NMSU athletics division, together with Athletics Director Mario Moccia and head basketball coach Greg Heiar, haven’t mentioned something publicly for the reason that capturing and when reached have referred inquiries to the NMSU chancellor’s workplace.
NMSU chancellor releases assertion
On Sunday, New Mexico State Chancellor Dan Arvizu addressed the capturing in a press release to the college neighborhood.
“We all know that considered one of our pupil athletes is now within the hospital following an altercation on the UNM campus. We additionally know one other individual has misplaced their life following that altercation,” Arvizu wrote. “Any premature passing is a tragedy, but it surely’s particularly heartbreaking when it includes college students and occurs on a college campus. I’ve spoken with UNM President Garnett Stokes and relayed my sympathies and people of our total NMSU neighborhood.”
In his letter, Arvizu inspired the neighborhood to not soar to conclusions.
“I’m assured all of the related particulars will come out in time,” he wrote. “That info will then assist to tell our subsequent steps as a college.”
Arvizu additionally relayed that the college is cooperating with legislation enforcement.
NMSU bus stopped
After the sport was postponed, NMSU basketball gamers traveled from Albuquerque again to Las Cruces by bus.
State police stopped the bus at or close to the Fort Craig relaxation space, about mile submit 114 on Interstate 25 — the midway level between the 2 cities.
The bus was stopped “as a part of the continued investigation into the murder at UNM. That bus has since been launched,” State Police spokesman Ray Wilson wrote in an electronic mail about 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Journal reported state police didn’t detain anybody who was on the bus.
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Lucas Peerman is the information director for the Las Cruces Solar-Information. He can reached at [email protected] and @LittleGuyInATie on Twitter. Stephen Wagner is a sports activities reporter for the Las Cruces Solar-Information. He can discovered on Twitter at @stephenwag22 and reached at [email protected]