In a press briefing Tuesday morning, Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story said all four suspects who were arrested in connection with the Young Park mass shooting on Friday had criminal histories. One suspect has an active case pending in Texas.
Chief Story said 20-year-old Tomas Rivas had been involved in shoplifting incidents and has a past charge of being in possession of a controlled substance. Rivas had also been a suspect in batteries, domestic violence cases, and aggravated assaults.
Rivas had previously been charged by the Texas Department of Public Safety with smuggling. Story mentioned his smuggling case is still pending and Rivas had a court appearing for the smuggling charge in El Paso the day the shooting took place.
As for the juveniles, Story said all have either been suspects in or charged with an array of crimes, including aggravated burglaries, vandalism, sexual assault, possession of controlled substances, public affray, robbery, and aggravated assault. The department stated three of the four suspects have been involved in multiple cases together.
Wednesday afternoon, the Doña Ana County District Attorney’s office confirmed that a New Mexico judge denied the three minors the right to be released, and they will remain in custody. Judge Grace B. Duran said the suspects are a danger to the community and to themselves. Judge Duran granted the state’s motion for continued detention of the minors.
Doña Ana District Attorney Fernando Macia said his office intends to charge the juveniles as adults.
The Round Up typically follows the guidance of the Associated Press to refrain from naming minors involved in criminal and civil judicial proceedings. However, coinciding with other local news publications, The Round Up has decided to disclose the names of the three juvenile suspects because the DA’s office aims to try them as adults.
Court documents obtained by The Round Up name the juveniles as 17-year-old Gustavo Dominguez, 17-year-old Giovani Rivas, and 15-year-old Josiah Ontiveros. All three juveniles, in addition to 20-year-old Rivas, have been charged with three counts each of first-degree murder, with the potential addition of other charges.
Story said investigators have recovered the firearms used in the incident. The investigation revealed three of the four firearms had been reported stolen. In addition, a total of 59 casings were found at the scene, all of which have been attributed to the identified firearms — handguns and a shotgun.
Story confirmed the shooting came from an escalated altercation of two groups who had past issues with each other. The suspects hit several of their intended targets but caught many innocent bystanders in the process.
Story said there was no evidence at the time showing the shooting was gang related.
Several federal agencies are assisting LCPD in its investigation efforts, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
In the press conference, Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez extended his condolences to the victims and their families. He also said the city will provide the Las Cruces Police Department with more funding and any resources they need to ensure a similar event doesn’t happen again.
Mayor Enriquez also said other work needs to be done on the state level for change.
“We will work with the governor and our state legislators for changes in our laws and policies to make sure our city is safe,” he said. “We are committed to that; we are committed to the safety of our city.”
Chief Story cited frustration in the lack of policy that can ensure accountability for those who are involved in criminal activity. He said the majority of New Mexicans are law-abiding citizens who are simply trying to live in a state that is ranked number one in the country for crime.
“Most of that crime is committed by a 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,” Story said.
He also discussed a problem around the state with violent crimes, especially pertaining to juveniles with previous criminal histories. Story emphasized that police chiefs in the state and around the country have been “screaming from the rooftops” for change, but there has been little to none.
“It is not about politics, but it is about policy,” he said. “This is not just a Las Cruces or Albuquerque problem, it is a problem in places like Portales, Alamogordo and Farmington – it is a problem around New Mexico.”
Chief Story said while so many have demanded for change on the state level, there has been little action done by the New Mexico Legislature to craft meaningful policy.
Following the shooting, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham rebuked the state legislature for their lack of action regarding bolstering safety and security in communities around the state. The governor has since stated she wants a special session to take place.
Story said changes in policy can help the community heal and prevent something like this from happening again.
“Tragedies like this present us with two options, for our community and our state,” Story said. “It can bring us together and become a catalyst for meaningful change, or it can tear us apart and further divide us. I hope we can choose the former, and not the latter.”
You can view LCPD’s full press conference on Facebook. Las Cruces Police are asking anyone who has more information to call (575) 526-0795.
The Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico has established a fundraising campaign to help the victims of the shooting.
