I do yeah. Well, good morning. Thank you for being here today. We gather here today to address the tragic incident that occurred Friday, March 21st at Young Park, where we lost three precious lives to senseless violence. Our hearts are heavy with sorrow for the families and friends affected by this devastating event. And we extend our deepest condolences during this very difficult time. I want to thank the Office of Emergency Management along uh with the city of Las Cruces for partnering up and setting up relief and care for those involved in the incident. They along with community partners and faith-based organizations are available at the convention center, uh, until 6 p.m. today. I want to express my gratitude to the Las Cruces Police Department and the federal agencies for their swift action and diligence in responding to the situation. Their professionalism and commitment to public safety have led to the arrest of 4 individuals convicted connected with this crime. We're thankful for their tireless effort. Which are crucial in ensuring justice. And justice to be served. Let me be clear, this incident will not be tolerated in our community. We stand united against violence in all its forms. We are committed to *** thorough and transparent investigation and we will work to ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions. The safety and well-being of our community is *** top priority, and we will continue to do everything in our power to make sure that this happens. And to do that we will do it by providing the funding and resources the Las Cruces Police Department needs. And we will do that on the local end. We will work with the governor and our state legislators for changes in our laws and policies to make sure that our city is safe. We are committed to that we are committed to the safety of our community. Thank you. Yeah. And uh before I uh ask Chief to come up here, uh, one other thing that's kind of important to to know the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico has established *** fundraising initiative uh to help victims of this event and their families, uh, so if you would please uh visit the Las Cruces Crisis Action Fund on the web and uh with that we'll pass it over to Chief Jeremy Star. Good morning. Thank you to everyone who's here today. I just wanna start by saying the district attorney's office is not here because they're at district court for, uh, dangerousness hearing for the three juveniles involved to ensure that they're held, and they, they likely or they could be here during it and, uh, stand up here with the rest of them. We worked hand in hand with our office to bring these 4 people to justice. My goal today is to paint the best picture I can about what happened on that horrific day last week on Friday, March 21st. Um, that being said. This one more than probably any presentation I've done. The information images, audio, the videos contained are gonna be disturbing. I, I suspect there's family members and loved ones here and you guys absolutely deserve to be here, but this stuff hits all of us hard, so I can only imagine how it affects you guys and just ask that viewer discretion is strongly advised. The details of the call, um, and one thing I do want to say up front to this is not *** traditional active shooter event where the motive or the motivation is to kill and injure as many people as you can as quickly as you can. Unfortunately, the results were the same. On March 21, 2025 at approximately 10:10 p.m. we began receiving calls for gunshot victims at Young Park. There was *** car meet up at the park prior to the shooting while *** large crowd was watching the exhibition driving, *** dispute developed towards the southwest portion of the parking lot. The dispute was between two groups of people who've had personal issues in the past. The argument escalated into gunfire and multiple people began firing handguns. Some of the intended targets were struck along with several uninvolved bystanders that had nothing to do with the dispute. Recap of the victim information. 18 total people were injured. 3 people were killed. 2 were pronounced on scene. 1 was transported and later pronounced at *** hospital. Our victims are Andrew Madrid 16, Jason Gomez, 17, and Dominic Estrada 1915 additional people were wounded and treated at various hospitals throughout the area, and their ages range from 16 to 36. The next video I'm gonna show you is *** cell phone video that's been circulating on social media. This is the original video. It's *** little bit clearer, but it's kind of hard to see what's going on, so I'm trying to give you *** frame of reference. This is the parking lot of Young Park. The blue circle is where you're gonna see the blue Mustang doing donuts. That's what everybody's watching. The yellow circle is where most of the shell casings were recovered after the incident. The red circle is where our suspects were seen standing together just prior to the shooting, and their vehicle is parked where that orange circle is all the way up against the curb. It's *** red Mercedes and you'll see 3 of the 4 suspects flee to that vehicle after the shooting and leave. Again, this is *** video that was taken recording, uh, the blue Mustang. If you look kind of in this frame towards the top, top right is where the shooting happens all the way straight ahead is where the suspect vehicle is parked. Hi 3 people are liable to get black. Yeah sucker. You guys like that ***? My, my heart's like racing. Oh no. Oh no. OK. Oh my God. I just witnessed *** murder. Everybody roll out. Oh my God. Huh. To his credit, that bystander put his phone in his pocket and began administering aid. I'm gonna play for you guys some of the 911 calls. There's almost an hour of audio for 911 calls. I'm obviously not gonna play all that. Some of the original calls along with some of the other calls that again, paint the best picture I can. Of what people were experiencing on scene. Young people. OK. Listen to me. Someone was shot, you said, correct? Yeah. Are you sure someone was shot or did you just hear gunshot? I'm sure I'm not stupid. Who was shot? There's gunshots. There's *** people got shot. There's *** shoot at Young Park, Youar. How many people are hurt? I don't know. It looks like multiple. I can't tell. Everyone's leaving. I'm already left the scene. I got out of. Stay on the phone with me. Hold on just *** second. Do you have any descriptions of anybody involved? No, it looks like someone in the jacket. I'm pretty sure someone got someone died. OK, hello, he's 911. We're, we're administering CPR. There's another one. There's another gun that went to the back. Is it once to the head? On to the there's *** girl that saw her on the neck as well. OK, so there's *** girl that's shot in the neck. That's what you're telling me, right? Yeah, there's *** girl that's shot in the neck. There's another man I saw in the back. They're holding, they're holding pressure to him. There's one that's on the head, but he's still breathing, and there's one that's on the arm. So it's 2 males and female that were shot, correct? Yes, 3 males and 1 female, 3 males, 12344 males and 1 female, yeah, so there's 4 males that were shot and 1 female. That's what you're saying, yes, OK. Hello, this is 911. How can I help you? Where? What park? John Spark. OK, what is your name? because there's like you heard some there's guns up here, so in case you need some over here. OK, was anybody shot? Yes, 3 people, 3 people? OK, are you close to them? No, there, there's 2 over there and there's one down. OK, OK, are you, are you OK, are you able to help them control the bleeding, sir? Can you check on them? Oh no, let me go check. I'm sorry? Maybe I'll text you the person for you. OK, we have units on the way, sir. Alright. Thank you. 911 emergency with. So there's been, there's been *** shooting in the in, how are you? Are you with any of the people that were shot? No ma'am. You're not with them? OK, did you see the shooter? I just heard it. I just literally just heard it. OK, are you still there? Yes, I'm still here. Are you are you you're still there at the park? Yes ma'am. OK, but you don't have *** visual of any one that was shot or the suspects? Yes, I saw the the person that got shot. OK, the person that got shot I needs the description. I, I, I didn't want to get closer. I just know he got, he was wearing jeans and like shoes. Jeans and white shoes? Black shoes, the police is here. OK, I'll let you go thank you. You're welcome bye bye. 911 hello? Yes, are you calling about the gunshot victim at the where no we're at the Taco Bell right next door and there's two little girls. That last call was from the Taco Bell where two additional victims uh showed up. The next thing I'm gonna play for you guys is some of the police radio traffic and again it's important to know that, uh, the way this is recorded for time's sake is that when one transmission ends the next one begins immediately, but that's not how it occurred that night. There's some amount of space in between the transmissions. The gun traffic. This is 43. 5. 1905 Nevada Avenue 1905 Nevada Avenue they have multiple callers calling in about *** gunshot victim. There's advising there's 3 gunshot victims, one to the head, one to the leg. They're advising they went towards Lynn. They were running we're still gathering. 9:34. Affirmative. I have one of the callers. He's currently advising there's 3 GSBs and there were 3 shooters. They were last team running on by the Lynn area. I'm still trying to get 11:30 Central route to the GSC. 944. any traffic. 777. Sorry about that. I made you. Where are the victims at? We're still gathering on where the victims are at. Sure, there's probably over 100 cards. Copy 100 cars in the parking lot. 9. 11:30 Central. What was the description of the vehicle heading north on Walnut? 961 and the parking lot. Copy on the south side of the parking lot. 768 G. 1119 Central 97 to Nevada. Copy 792. 11:30 Central. And in front of you. 1 for them. So they don't want to have *** bigger med. 11 Central, we have multiple gunshot victims. gunshot victims. 9 central alerting area hospitals. Central called the unions today no report. So those. So. 11:43 Central. I have two victims with gunshots to the head. I hear you. The 1 ft in the middle of the park. 8 units that are not on. I need *** perimeter set up. I need and walnut shut down both north and south, and then I need *** perimeter around Young's Park. 76 Central. Were you advised fire that 49 of multiple victims. Yeah. 74.7 GSP to the back. Copy Florida 2215. Start getting all these vehicles out and get them northbound. 35 central pressure dressing applied to the neck, applying pressure to the neck dressing applied to the neck. The pressure dressing. I have one plate it to *** leg. one of the arms. 11:30. I got one gunshot to the head. Where? All right, start getting me *** suspect description and direction of travel. off the radio with medical information. For 49 we have two GSEs at Mountain View as well. we can get *** unit. Head up there. I'm at *** traffic point on Walnut. We can reach out to Das Central and have one of those units go stand by until we can get someone out there. And she said the GP that I have in the center of the parking lot. He does have *** 1080. Any other victim. 1119 central right now possible suspects are the vases, unknown description unknowned vehicles. GBs in the Taco Bell. Taco Bell. I be more at the Taco Bell you on 11111. Copy. I have *** male writer with me. 44 Central. 100 units. There's *** mill on Colorado wearing blue Memphis Grizzly jersey and has *** 1080 on them. 2 They are non-critical I'll be with you. So of course you know there's *** lot of traffic. We just got *** caller advising there's 5 to 6 gunshot victims also at MMC that just came out. 773 units we got 5 to 6. I'm gonna show 3 very small clips from the body camera. Um, this is *** very difficult balance. Obviously we want to respect not only the victims but their families. They're gonna be heavily redacted. Um, but just to again show what it was like on scene for the people that were involved as well as the responding officers and the firefighters. Yeah Crazy shot. Yeah. You know I put *** Is he shot down there too. I pressure. Something about. Lay down, lay on your back, lay on your back here. Press. You your your head. I have one pint of drinking to *** leg. Uncle Jessy's the right one of the. I can't breathe. OK. Are you OK? Just keep rest for me, OK? I gotta stop this bleeding. So one of our officers responding to help *** canon officer um treat *** female with *** gunshot wound to the neck. Yeah. Right with my hands out on my head. I got you right back up, back up my hands out where my hands. Got it. Oh. Oh. up, OK? Keep your hands up. Keep your hands. Keep your hands up. You're gonna be OK. I need you to calm down, OK? OK, breathe, breathe. Oh fun. Yeah OK. ask you. That. This last video just illustrates at the same time officers are providing care and treatment. They're trying to set up the perimeter. They're trying to get witness statement and put out suspect information. We're getting calls for armed people running in the neighborhoods, um, and this one's off Colorado. I *** direct sergeant, *** male on Colorado with *** 1080. Yes. Send I'm right it that way on foot. Description one more time. There's several different, uh, videos that have been submitted or recovered on scene that show the suspect's location standing together just prior to the shooting. This is one of those. This is another one that shows the suspects together just prior to the shooting. The scene after the fact, um, depending on what you're looking on right now, it's maybe hard to see, but there's yellow markers, those yellow markers. Are for either shell casings or firearms accessories that are recovered on scene. The vast majority of firearms casings. I think we gave an estimate of 50 to 60 in the first news conference right now the the number that we have that have been entered is 59 shell casings, and those are *** combination of 40, 45, and 9 millimeter. Our four suspects have been charged with murder, 3 counts. The only adult is Thomas or Tomas Rivas, 20 years old, 2 17-year-old males and 1 15-year-old male. Our detectives, along with our federal partners and state partners, um, moved extremely fast. All 4 of them were located within 38 hours. The first two were in custody within 24 hours. Talk about the weapons that were recovered. We believe we have recovered all 4 firearms that were involved with this group from the people we've arrested. Obviously those will be tested and compared to the casings to confirm that this one was located in *** yard, um, where we believe one of the, the subjects, the only one that did not get in the vehicle initially, uh, fled. We also located several firearms in *** house. Um, those farms were brought after the shooting. Our agents actually observed to the suspects go to this house with some bulky items, put them, um, stashed them on that property after search warrants we're able to recover firearms, ammunition magazines, and clothing both inside the house and in *** trash bin outside the house connected to this incident. This is *** 45 caliber handgun clock. This is *** 9 millimeter clock that was recovered. Summary of criminal history. Obviously 3 of them are juveniles, but there's *** history for all four of them, um, 3 of them especially that have had multiple incidents together. Tomas Rivas has been involved in shoplifting and possession controlled substance early on. He's been *** suspect in batteries, domestic batteries, and aggravated assaults. He was charged by Texas DPS was smuggling that case is pending. He actually had *** court case, court appearance the day of the shooting in El Paso. The juveniles have *** combination of *** bunch of different things, some of it together. They've been suspects or charged in aggravated burglaries, vandalism, sexual assault, possession of controlled substance, public affrays or fights, robbery, and several aggravated assaults, especially recently. Evidence from this case also confirms that at least one of them was attempting to sell firearms through social media just prior to this event. 3 of the 4 suspects have been involved in multiple cases together, especially the aggravated assaults, and by aggravated assault primarily that means pointing guns at people. I, I mentioned this during the first news conference just kind of the atmosphere that exists at these car meets, and that's not to suggest that every that everyone that's there is *** criminal, but there's *** lot of stuff that's happening at these car meets that is extremely dangerous and irresponsible. Guns are involved where they're just out, they're used for different purposes and no one bats an eye when they see this. So I'm gonna give you *** couple of examples. This is from before the shooting actually happened of guns just being present at the car meet. We'll see in the right hand here in *** second. Using the laser on the Yeah This circulated obviously um all over the place. The two subjects holding the same rifle at different points. They were not based on all available were not involved in the shooting and so the question was why do they have the rifle out like that? Well, this is the videos of what they're doing with the rifle at this uh event. Mhm Yeah. Right. Same rifle, just different person using the light, um, basically to help with the video effects. I'm gonna play some uh video clips from *** 2023 car meet that we had to to disperse and just this I mentioned this earlier, this has been *** problem for police departments across the country and they're very difficult to deal with because of the number of people and some of the behaviors that happen when you have that many people together doing the things that are they're doing again this is in May of 2023 at Young Park at *** car. Meet up. Um, this first clip is just *** few seconds to kind of show the overall atmosphere. On this call we had 15 officers on it basically from 2 shifts. To try to deal with this and there's still chaos and things that happen. What was that? What you're gonna see in the first few seconds of this video is *** full bottle of beer is thrown at this unit and breaks, um, right at the corner, some of it gets into the vehicle and then they apprehend the person that was involved in throwing it. Oh, that's the *** Who did that? again, can't down your path. Oh Yeah. Everywhere. Everyone's like the one guy. Someone else to go. I was. You Oh. While they're trying to deal with that, they get surrounded by people and these are the officers responding to them being surrounded by people trying to deal with the first subject. I don't know. Hey. So why Back up. Hey, what you guys? Hey, what you guys hey. Hey, what are you doing? Hey, let go, let go, let's go, let go. Let go. that I need your. Yeah, you push him, so that's where we're saying it's in the back right there. Take it out. What happened? He threw *** rock at him back. I want to mention *** few things before we go to questions. There is *** potential for additional people to be charged with crimes related to this event either through state courts or federal charges. I also urge anyone with information or that was *** witness or has information to contact us and speak with the detective. There's *** lot of information that's going around social media that is contrary to evidence or could be useful for us to have. However, those people have not reached out to us. And I'd ask that they do so. I also want to say that I'm incredibly proud of our officers and how they responded to this incident. The officers and supervisors who responded began immediately rendering aid. They provided aid to almost everybody on scene right right away as soon as they got there. At the same time they're still trying to manage the scene, gather information and close off the perimeter. They managed one of the most chaotic scenes law enforcement can contend with, and they did it with poise and professionalism. My detectives and crime scene personnel, they managed to process this massive scene with help from state police, the FBI, and ATF. They're able to track down those individuals responsible and get them into custody without incident extremely quickly. The cooperation between LCPD, FBI, ATF, DEA, the district attorney's office, the US Attorney's office, and our other state and local law enforcement partners is praiseworthy. Everybody came together to deal with this tragedy. I do want to clarify one thing I said at the last news conference when I said that people have *** blatant regard or disregard for the rule of law in New Mexico I'm talking about those who engage in criminal behavior and they victimize the people in our communities throughout the state. Most New Mexicans, almost all New Mexicans are law abiding citizens who are trying to live their lives in *** state that is number one for crime. Most of that crime is committed by *** relatively small number of people, but those people blatantly disregard the rule of law, and they have very little fear of consequences because they have learned that there will likely not be any, especially our juveniles. This is not about politics, but it is about policy. Police chiefs from across the state and the New Mexico Association of Chiefs of Police have been screaming from the rooftops about *** very serious juvenile violent crime problem we have in New Mexico. We have given example after example after example of brutal acts committed by kids. Most of the time those kids have *** history of violence, like in this case. This is not just *** Las Cruces or Albuquerque problem. It is *** problem in places like Portales, Alma Gordo, and Farmington. It is *** problem throughout New Mexico. I testified about juvenile gun crime to the court's Corrections and justice interim committee in October of last year. DAs across New Mexico, like District Attorney Bregman and Bernalillo have been sounding the alarm on juvenile crime. Yet nothing meaningful was accomplished at our last legislative session to address these dire concerns. But we have to come together to find and ensure to find solutions and ensure accountability for violent juvenile crime. That is the only option. And we're not talking about locking up every kid that makes *** mistake, but we cannot be on the other end of the spectrum where there are unlimited chances even when they hurt people, that is clearly not working. Tragedies like this present us with two options for our community and our state. It could bring us together and become *** catalyst for meaningful change, or it could tear us apart and further divide us. I hope we choose the former and not the latter.