Tragedy at the University of New Mexico: One Dead, One Injured in Dorm Shooting—Suspect Arrested

What should’ve been a week of excitement and new beginnings for incoming University of New Mexico students turned into a nightmare in the early hours of Friday morning.

Just after 3:30 a.m. on July 25, a shooting inside the Casas del Rio student housing complex left one man dead and another seriously injured. Neither of the victims were enrolled students. Hours of fear, confusion, and panic followed—until the suspect was finally apprehended later that afternoon.

The Morning of Chaos: Shelter-in-Place Issued

It started like any other quiet night on campus—until gunfire shattered the silence.

Students living in the dorms woke up to the sounds of chaos. Some heard multiple gunshots. Others witnessed people leaping from windows and running for safety. The university immediately sent out a shelter-in-place alert, locking down its central campus and urging everyone to stay indoors.

“It was terrifying,” said Mikey Beck, a student who was on campus for orientation. “I saw someone crouched in the bushes. People were jumping out of windows. It was sketchy—really sketchy. Being in Albuquerque is scary sometimes.”

What We Know So Far

Campus police responded quickly to the call. Inside the Gila building at Casas del Rio, they found two adult men shot—neither of them students at UNM.

• One man was pronounced dead at the scene.

• The second was rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials haven’t released their names, but said both were visitors to the dorm, not registered students. The motive behind the shooting remains under investigation.

“We Thought We Were Safe Here”

The shooting shook the UNM community—particularly the hundreds of new students and their families who had arrived just days earlier for orientation.

Casas del Rio was being used as temporary housing for incoming students. Parents dropped their teens off, assuming they’d be in a safe, supportive environment. Instead, many of those students were abruptly evacuated in a tactical police operation as SWAT teams swept the building.

“I just kept thinking of my mom,” one 17-year-old student said. “She dropped me off three days ago and hugged me like it was the start of a new chapter. I didn’t expect it to start like this.”

Manhunt Ends with Arrest

After nearly 11 hours of searching, law enforcement tracked down the suspect to Los Lunas, about 20 miles south of Albuquerque. The man—whose name has not yet been publicly released—was taken into custody without incident around 2:15 p.m. on Friday.

Mayor Tim Keller expressed his gratitude for the swift action of multiple agencies: “We are deeply grateful that the offender is now in custody. Our city mourns with the victims’ families today.”

Campus Closes as Investigation Continues

The University of New Mexico canceled all campus activities for the remainder of the day. As the campus slowly reopens, many students are left grappling with the emotional weight of what happened.

“We never think it’s going to happen at our school,” said UNM junior Janelle Martinez. “But it did. And now we’re left with trauma before the semester has even started.”

UNM President Garnett Stokes issued a statement promising support, safety, and transparency. Counseling services have been offered to students and families affected.

Bigger Questions Remain

Why was the suspect at a student dorm? How did a firearm make it onto campus? And what relationship, if any, did the shooter have with the victims?

Police have yet to answer these questions, but the incident has reignited urgent conversations around:

• Campus security in urban areas

• Gun access and background checks

• Visitor protocols in student housing

For now, what’s clear is that a young life has been lost, a community is grieving, and hundreds of students are entering the school year carrying fear instead of excitement.

At a Glance

This wasn’t just another headline. It was someone’s son, someone’s friend, someone who walked into that dorm expecting nothing more than a visit—and never walked out. The entire UNM family now finds itself mourning, questioning, and demanding change.