A quiet Las Cruces block turned into a crime scene Monday night after a 13-year-old boy was shot in the back of the head at a home on Petunia Lane. By Tuesday, the boy remained in critical condition, and his 13-year-old friend was under arrest.
Police say they found and arrested the alleged shooter later that evening near Picacho Middle School, not far from where the injury was first reported. First responders intercepted the victim’s parents on Picacho Avenue as they raced to get their son to a hospital. He was flown to the University Medical Center of El Paso and remains under critical care.
What police say
Las Cruces Police say officers initially responded to a report of a gunshot victim at a residence on Petunia Lane. After that call, they tracked down the suspect near Picacho Middle School and took him into custody.
The department described the 13-year-old suspect as “a frequent runaway who has been known to possess firearms” and said he had the gun used in the shooting when officers encountered him. Because of his age, police are not releasing his name, and they say the investigation is still active, according to KFOX.
Hospital and school context
Emergency crews met the boy’s parents on Picacho Avenue, then had the teen airlifted to the University Medical Center of El Paso for treatment. UMC El Paso notes that its Scherr-Legate Level I Trauma Center handles the region's most critical cases.
Picacho Middle School, at 1040 N Motel Blvd, is the campus near where officers say they located the suspect, according to Picacho Middle School. The case is unfolding in the shadow of both a neighborhood school and a major trauma center as detectives work to establish exactly what led up to the gunfire.
Charges and next steps
Las Cruces Police say the arrested teen faces charges of negligent use of a deadly weapon and being a minor in possession of a deadly weapon, and they note that additional charges could follow as the probe continues.
Negligent use of a deadly weapon is defined in NMSA §30-7-4, and the statute states that “Whoever commits negligent use of a deadly weapon is guilty of a petty misdemeanor,” according to the state code compilation on Justia.
Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Las Cruces Police Department as the investigation moves forward, according to KFOX.
