Update: On Nov. 21 Jonathan Smith was charged with aggravated battery, conspiracy and tampering with evidence, for his involvement on Nov. 19, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
On Saturday, Nov. 19 a University of New Mexico student was killed and a New Mexico State University student was shot and injured in an altercation that resulted in a shooting at approximately 3 a.m. in the parking lot of Coronado Hall, a UNM dormitory.
The shooting occurred when 19-year-old UNM student Brandon Travis and three other conspirators lured NMSU basketball player Mike Peake on campus to assault him. Travis then confronted Peake with a gun and shot him. Peake, who was also carrying a gun, then shot Travis, according to a press release from the New Mexico State Police. Travis was pronounced dead at the scene and Peake was taken to a nearby hospital, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
One of the conspirators was placed in a juvenile detention center on charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy; the other two have been identified by police but not yet charged with any crime.
Students reported gunshots in the Coronado Hall area at around 3:15 a.m. and police arrived around 5-10 minutes later, according to the Las Cruces Sun News. Students were informed of police activity near the hall via Lobo Alert at 3:50 a.m. At 4:18 a.m. another alert confirmed that the investigation was due to a shooting. Lobo Alert then sent out an email update at 4:27 p.m. indicating that the New Mexico State Police were still looking for two other individuals who were involved with the shooting and fled the scene, along with information on the ages of the victims.
The investigation was taken over by New Mexico State Police, as UNM resides in their jurisdiction. Their early investigation led to the NMSU Aggies’ bus being stopped on the way back to Las Cruces near Fort Craig, according to the Las Cruces Sun News; they were shortly let go and no one was detained, according to the Journal.
UNM President Garnett Stokes sent out an official message on Saturday afternoon expressing grief and stating the known facts of the case. In it, she also reiterated both NMSU and UNM’s zero tolerance policy for guns on campus.
“News of violence on and near university campuses has been front of mind on a national level, especially in recent weeks, and we must do everything in our power to provide a safe and secure environment for our Lobo community, especially for those who live on campus,” the statement read.
UNM Student Health and Counseling offered grief counseling on the Sunday after from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They also had after-hours availability where students could reach out at the number 505-277-3136.
NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu sent out a statement on Nov. 20 acknowledging the events that transpired in Albuquerque and the involvement of one of the NMSU basketball players in the incident.
“We know that one of our student athletes is now in the hospital following an altercation on the UNM campus. We also know another person has lost their life following that altercation. Any untimely passing is a tragedy, but it’s especially heartbreaking when it involves students and happens on a university campus,” the statement read.
The UNM v. NMSU basketball game will be postponed until further notice, according to the official UNM Basketball Instagram account.
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This is a developing story.
Zara Roy is the copy chief at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at copychief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo
Annya Loya is the news editor at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @annyaloya
