A 15-year-old boy became the fourth suspect arrested in connection with a shooting that killed three people and injured 15 at an unsanctioned car show at a New Mexico park Friday night.
The three others arrested in the shooting in Las Cruces are two 17-year-old boys and Tomas Rivas, 20, Las Cruces police said.
All four have been charged with three counts of murder, and additional charges are pending.
The 15-year-old was arrested shortly after noon Sunday, police said in an update, while Rivas and one of the 17-year-olds were arrested Saturday night, and the other teen was arrested Sunday morning.
"The three juveniles are incarcerated in the juvenile section of the Dona Ana County Detention Center," the police department said. "Rivas is on the adult side and is initially being held without bond."
The investigation continues, police said, adding that they’re chasing multiple leads.
Police identified the three people killed in the shooting: Andrew Madrid, 16, Jason Gomez, 18, and Dominick Estrada, 19. Madrid and Gomez died on the scene, and Estrada died after he was taken to a medical center.
Relatives of the youngest victim called him "AJ," a statement from his parents, Marcy and Ignacio Madrid, and uncle, Adrian Madrid, said. They described him as a music lover, sometime joker and enthusiastic consumer of his grandmother's sandwiches, Mexican tortas.
"He was a dedicated student and a passionate baseball player, dreaming as largely and lovingly as anyone could," the loved ones said Sunday. "His heart was truly as big as his dreams."
Kai Villegas, a friend and teammate of Madrid's, said they were texting just before Madrid was shot. Once he heard about the shooting, Villegas said he texted Madrid to see if he was OK and "never got a response."
"He was never really in a bad mood," Villegas said of his friend. "Always bringing bringing other people up."
The 15 people who were injured — nine male and six female — are 16 to 36 years old, police said. Officials said they will not identify them publicly to protect their privacy.
The shooting, which involved multiple firearms, happened at 10 p.m. Friday at Young Park when an altercation between two groups at the car show escalated, Police Chief Jeremy Story said. Many people were injured, including bystanders who may have been struck by crossfire.
It is not clear what started the altercation.
“There was already craziness going on before the shooting, with people sticking guns out the window and driving and doing doughnuts,” Story said Friday.
Young Park has been “troubled with crime” in recent years, with unsanctioned car shows becoming “an issue,” Story said.
Multiple guns and a vehicle with gunfire damage that may have been involved were found at the scene, Story said. Around 50 to 60 bullet casings were also found, officials said.
