'There's no one answering the door' : 911 calls show chaos, clarity in hours after University of New Mexico shooting
- Noah Alcala Bach,
From outside a University of New Mexico dorm room, LeAnna LaMotte pleaded with a 911 dispatcher for an officer鈥檚 assistance. Unbeknownst to LaMotte, her 14-year-old son was on the other side of the door, shot in the head.
鈥淚 called just a while ago about my son potentially being shot on campus. The police are still not here. It鈥檚 been over 45 minutes. I鈥檓 at the room 鈥� all the way from Rio Rancho made it here. There鈥檚 no urgency. There鈥檚 no one answering the door,鈥� she told the dispatcher.
The dispatcher responded that the call was under the purview of campus police and that the Albuquerque Police Department could not help her.
鈥淕od, my son can be bleeding out, and there鈥檚 no urgency with this place,鈥� LaMotte said in the call, one of several released to the Journal following the July 25 shooting.
UNM police would open the door around 4:41 a.m., confirming LaMotte鈥檚 worst fear.
The UNM police response to the shooting has come under scrutiny since Michael LaMotte was fatally shot in the Casa del Rio dorm after being brought there by his stepbrother.
Campus police did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Prosecutors have said the alleged shooter, John Fuentes, 18, was drunk and high on LSD, cocaine and marijuana, when he pulled out a gun and shot Michael LaMotte and the young man whose dorm they were playing video games in.
How the events unfolded during the pre-dawn hours of July 25 is still unclear, but the calls provide more clarity.
They begin at 12:11 a.m. when Machai Bluhm, a dorm resident, called APD.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure I just heard what I thought was gunshots outside of my apartment,鈥� Bluhm said. 鈥淚 looked outside the window and I saw someone like a white male without a shirt on. He was booking it. He was running.鈥�
Bluhm also told the dispatcher that he heard four or five shots. He told them he was staying in the Casa del Rio dormitory.
APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said Wednesday that they dispatched two officers around 12:15 a.m. and the officers arrived at 12:40 a.m.
Gallegos said, around 15 minutes after they arrived, one officer was released from the scene and the other responded to another call because UNM police said they were handling the situation on campus.
鈥淯NM did not request assistance from APD as a result of the first call,鈥� he said.
According to the call logs, around that time, an APD dispatcher called UNM police and said there were 鈥渞eports of some possible shots fired in the area.鈥�
鈥淲e had something earlier in the area. That guy had a gun. He took the clip off, dropped it on the ground, and then grabbed it and ran off,鈥� a UNM police dispatcher replied.
A little after 1 a.m., APD got a call from a Valencia County dispatcher that Fuentes鈥� mother was trying to find him after he FaceTimed his father saying he was hallucinating on drugs and passed out on a roof.
Then, LaMotte鈥檚 mother called.
鈥淪o my stepson called, he has my son ... There was three of them playing a video game. They heard gunshots. My son, my stepson, and his cousin, I believe, left the building, but my son鈥檚 location is still inside that building,鈥� she said.
The dispatcher asked her if the boys were involved in the shooting.
鈥淎s far as I know, my stepson says that they just heard it,鈥� LeAnna LaMotte said. 鈥淏ut they left the room, and they didn鈥檛 see my son, my biological son.鈥�
She was then transferred to speak to UNM police.
Around 10 minutes later, another APD dispatcher called campus police again.
鈥淚 guess her son stayed,鈥� the dispatcher said. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 leave. And she says his location is still showing there, but she hasn鈥檛 been able to get ahold of him.鈥�
LeAnna LaMotte called APD again and told them she had driven to campus: 鈥淚 called just a while ago about my son potentially being shot on campus. The police are still not here.鈥�
She went on to express frustration with the response time and what she perceived as a lack of urgency from authorities. The dispatcher told her that the UNM campus wasn鈥檛 under APD鈥檚 jurisdiction.
Just after 2 a.m., while searching for Fuentes, a campus police dispatcher called APD, asking if a K-9 unit could be deployed.
鈥淲e found a blood trail, and we just need help finding him,鈥� the dispatcher told APD. The dispatcher also said that every UNM officer was searching at that time.
LaMotte鈥檚 body was found at 4:41 a.m.
Three days after the shooting, the LaMotte family wrote an open letter 鈥� hinting at a lawsuit 鈥� alleging that university police failed to respond promptly to her calls about her son being shot. The family鈥檚 legal counsel, Rothstein Donatelli, did not return a request for comment.
Earlier this month, Fuentes was ordered by a judge to remain in custody as he awaits trial.
For its part, UNM is eyeing a $2 million campus-wide alarm system upgrade, which the school鈥檚 governing board approved on Tuesday. The same day, University President Garnett Stokes said the school would ask for $5 million in state funding for increased campus security.
Going before the Board of Regents, Stokes spoke at length about the shooting, noting that the university鈥檚 urban campus is located in a city experiencing what some local leaders have characterized as a juvenile crime crisis.
鈥淲e love our university and our neighborhood community,鈥� Stokes said. 鈥淲e have work to do as individuals and work to do as a community, as educators, administrators, researchers and leaders. I think we have an obligation to lead proactively and to lead by example.鈥�
From outside a University of New Mexico dorm room, LeAnna LaMotte pleaded with a 911 dispatcher for an officer鈥檚 assistance. Unbeknownst to LaMotte, her 14-year-old son was on the other side of the door, shot in the head.
鈥淚 called just a while ago about my son potentially being shot on campus. The police are still not here. It鈥檚 been over 45 minutes. I鈥檓 at the room 鈥� all the way from Rio Rancho made it here. There鈥檚 no urgency. There鈥檚 no one answering the door,鈥� she told the dispatcher.
The dispatcher responded that the call was under the purview of campus police and that the Albuquerque Police Department could not help her.
鈥淕od, my son can be bleeding out, and there鈥檚 no urgency with this place,鈥� LaMotte said in the call, one of several released to the Journal following the July 25 shooting.
UNM police would open the door around 4:41 a.m., confirming LaMotte鈥檚 worst fear.
The UNM police response to the shooting has come under scrutiny since Michael LaMotte was fatally shot in the Casa del Rio dorm after being brought there by his stepbrother.
Campus police did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Prosecutors have said the alleged shooter, John Fuentes, 18, was drunk and high on LSD, cocaine and marijuana, when he pulled out a gun and shot Michael LaMotte and the young man whose dorm they were playing video games in.
How the events unfolded during the pre-dawn hours of July 25 is still unclear, but the calls provide more clarity.
They begin at 12:11 a.m. when Machai Bluhm, a dorm resident, called APD.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure I just heard what I thought was gunshots outside of my apartment,鈥� Bluhm said. 鈥淚 looked outside the window and I saw someone like a white male without a shirt on. He was booking it. He was running.鈥�
Bluhm also told the dispatcher that he heard four or five shots. He told them he was staying in the Casa del Rio dormitory.
APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said Wednesday that they dispatched two officers around 12:15 a.m. and the officers arrived at 12:40 a.m.
Gallegos said, around 15 minutes after they arrived, one officer was released from the scene and the other responded to another call because UNM police said they were handling the situation on campus.
鈥淯NM did not request assistance from APD as a result of the first call,鈥� he said.
According to the call logs, around that time, an APD dispatcher called UNM police and said there were 鈥渞eports of some possible shots fired in the area.鈥�
鈥淲e had something earlier in the area. That guy had a gun. He took the clip off, dropped it on the ground, and then grabbed it and ran off,鈥� a UNM police dispatcher replied.
A little after 1 a.m., APD got a call from a Valencia County dispatcher that Fuentes鈥� mother was trying to find him after he FaceTimed his father saying he was hallucinating on drugs and passed out on a roof.
Then, LaMotte鈥檚 mother called.
鈥淪o my stepson called, he has my son ... There was three of them playing a video game. They heard gunshots. My son, my stepson, and his cousin, I believe, left the building, but my son鈥檚 location is still inside that building,鈥� she said.
The dispatcher asked her if the boys were involved in the shooting.
鈥淎s far as I know, my stepson says that they just heard it,鈥� LeAnna LaMotte said. 鈥淏ut they left the room, and they didn鈥檛 see my son, my biological son.鈥�
She was then transferred to speak to UNM police.
Around 10 minutes later, another APD dispatcher called campus police again.
鈥淚 guess her son stayed,鈥� the dispatcher said. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 leave. And she says his location is still showing there, but she hasn鈥檛 been able to get ahold of him.鈥�
LeAnna LaMotte called APD again and told them she had driven to campus: 鈥淚 called just a while ago about my son potentially being shot on campus. The police are still not here.鈥�
She went on to express frustration with the response time and what she perceived as a lack of urgency from authorities. The dispatcher told her that the UNM campus wasn鈥檛 under APD鈥檚 jurisdiction.
Just after 2 a.m., while searching for Fuentes, a campus police dispatcher called APD, asking if a K-9 unit could be deployed.
鈥淲e found a blood trail, and we just need help finding him,鈥� the dispatcher told APD. The dispatcher also said that every UNM officer was searching at that time.
LaMotte鈥檚 body was found at 4:41 a.m.
Three days after the shooting, the LaMotte family wrote an open letter 鈥� hinting at a lawsuit 鈥� alleging that university police failed to respond promptly to her calls about her son being shot. The family鈥檚 legal counsel, Rothstein Donatelli, did not return a request for comment.
Earlier this month, Fuentes was ordered by a judge to remain in custody as he awaits trial.
For its part, UNM is eyeing a $2 million campus-wide alarm system upgrade, which the school鈥檚 governing board approved on Tuesday. The same day, University President Garnett Stokes said the school would ask for $5 million in state funding for increased campus security.
Going before the Board of Regents, Stokes spoke at length about the shooting, noting that the university鈥檚 urban campus is located in a city experiencing what some local leaders have characterized as a juvenile crime crisis.
鈥淲e love our university and our neighborhood community,鈥� Stokes said. 鈥淲e have work to do as individuals and work to do as a community, as educators, administrators, researchers and leaders. I think we have an obligation to lead proactively and to lead by example.鈥�
Authorities seize five guns in one day from Albuquerque Public Schools students - Noah Alcala Bach,
A shaky cellphone video shows an Albuquerque Public Schools police officer at the front of a classroom with his gun drawn, ordering a student to the ground Wednesday morning. Two people who appear to be staff members run to him and exchange shoves with the teen as they try to corner him. Multiple students run from the room 鈥� following a teacher鈥檚 orders.
The video showed the first of several incidents across district high schools throughout the day involving a student with a firearm.
In total, APS police recovered five firearms by the time classes dismissed 鈥� two on the campus of Albuquerque High School, two at West Mesa High School, and one off campus at Del Norte High School.
Just hours after the firearms were recovered, APS Board President Danielle Gonzales addressed the situation at a board meeting.
鈥淲hile this is deeply concerning, it also highlights that the systems that our district has put in place are indeed working as intended,鈥� Gonzales said. 鈥淭he safety of our students is our highest priority.鈥�
Addressing the incidents at her campus, West Mesa Principal Michele Torres wrote in an email to parents: 鈥淚n both instances, it was a member of our school community who learned that someone had a gun on campus and reported it. We are grateful to those individuals for coming forward.鈥�
She added that the incidents at West Mesa were unrelated.
KOAT-TV obtained a roughly 25-second video of the first incident, which appears to have been recorded by a student.
The Journal sent a series of questions to the district, but APS spokesperson Martin Salazar said, 鈥淲e鈥檙e still looking into the entire incident and can鈥檛 comment further at this time.鈥�
Following the confrontation, the student was taken into custody, and the gun was found in his backpack.
鈥淲e notified our students and staff of the incident, at which point someone else came forward, and a second gun was recovered. That student was also taken into custody,鈥� Torres said.
鈥淭o our knowledge, neither student found in possession of a gun expressed any intentions of harming himself or others, but the presence of any weapon on school grounds is a serious violation of our policies,鈥� Torres said. 鈥淎s a consequence, the students will face disciplinary measures, up to and including expulsion and prosecution.鈥�
At Albuquerque High School, staff overheard that a student might have a firearm, then searched the student鈥檚 backpack and located the weapon, according to a district statement. The statement went on to say Albuquerque High staff then heard of another gun on campus, searched another student鈥檚 backpack, and found it.
鈥淐learly, these incidents are troubling for our school community, and we recognize the impact they can have on students and staff,鈥� Albuquerque High Principal Cesar Hernandez wrote in a letter to parents. 鈥淏ut the willingness of individuals to alert us with potential concerns has been a huge help to our staff and police, allowing us to take proactive steps.鈥�
In addition to the four guns found, APS officers 鈥渉ad been looking for a Del Norte student due to prior incidents and a report that she might be armed,鈥� and spotted her with her boyfriend right off campus. Officers then took the two into custody and found a gun, according to the district鈥檚 statement.
The firearms are the first found on APS campuses this year. Last year, APS recovered 15 firearms across its campuses and one charter school, whose day-to-day operations the district does not oversee.
Two Democratic lawmakers quit NM redistricting task force amid national tumult - Dan Boyd,
Two Democratic state legislators have stepped down from a task force focused on independent redistricting, citing a Republican-led push to redraw political boundary lines in Texas that鈥檚 drawn national headlines.
The decision by Rep. Cristina Paraj贸n and Sen. Harold Pope Jr., both of Albuquerque, to step down from the Fair Districts for New Mexico task force drew criticism from at least one Republican member of the task force.
The includes legislators and representatives from several outside groups. It鈥檚 led by retired New Mexico Court of Appeals judges Roderick Kennedy and Linda Vanzi.
In their resignation letters, both Paraj贸n and Pope cited the rare mid-decade and other GOP-led states. The redistricting has been undertaken at the urging of President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration and is likely to lead to more Republican-leaning seats.
In response, to redraw congressional boundary lines to create more Democratic-leaning seats.
Paraj贸n said she still believes in fair redistricting but can鈥檛 ignore the national trends, adding that majority New Mexico Democrats were being asked to 鈥減lay a professional baseball game with Wiffle ball bats.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not right to move forward with state level independent redistricting without action at the national level,鈥� Paraj贸n said in her letter.
For his part, Pope expressed similar reasons for stepping down, saying that Trump and his allies were trying to 鈥渞ig our democracy鈥� by drawing gerrymandered congressional districts.
Fair Districts for New Mexico was launched in 2019 by the League of Women Voters, a nonprofit group, to advocate for an independent redistricting commission. Such a commission would be empowered to redraw the state鈥檚 political boundary lines based on once-per-decade U.S. census data.
While such a commission has not won approval at the Roundhouse, New Mexico lawmakers in 2021 created a Citizen Redistricting Committee that was tasked with recommending new maps for the state鈥檚 U.S. House districts and legislative seats.
The advisory committee鈥檚 proposed maps are not binding, however, and the Democratic-controlled Legislature in December 2021 made significant changes to one of the proposed congressional maps before approving it.
Since then, Democrats have swept all U.S. House races in New Mexico. They also control all statewide offices.
The state Republican Party arguing the new U.S. House district boundary lines were drawn intentionally to chop up GOP voting strongholds, but a judge ultimately upheld the map鈥檚 legality.
Meanwhile, one of the Republican members of the Fair Districts for New Mexico task force accused the Democrats who resigned of hypocrisy in light of New Mexico鈥檚 current congressional map.
鈥淭his immature and lackluster stunt only draws attention to the need for transparency in our state鈥檚 redistricting,鈥� said Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, while also citing Pope鈥檚 recent announcement for lieutenant governor.
New Mexico officials unveil first wave of improvements for Las Vegas water treatment facility - Patrick Lohmann,
The New Mexico Environment Department鈥檚 installation of new pre-treatment equipment for the City of Las Vegas鈥� drinking water supply should offer at least some reassurance to residents the next time they see storm clouds gather on the horizon, a department official told Source New Mexico this week.
The Environment Department recently took over almost all the Northern New Mexico town鈥檚 work to replace its water treatment facility, a necessity after the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire in summer 2022.
During the fire, sediment turned the Gallinas River black as it flowed through town, and the city and other areas in and around the burn scar have seen repeated floods ever since the fire.
Because the Congress approved more than $5 billion to compensate fire victims, and specifically includedfor a brand new water treatment system. A year ago, the city received
But repeated and earlier this year, as well as a this winter, prompted the city to enter into a 鈥渏oint governmental agreement鈥� with three state agencies in hopes of fast-tracking the new system.
The agreement, which all the parties signed off on early last month, empowers the state鈥檚 finance, disaster response and environmental departments to 鈥減lan, design, procure, construct, test, deliver, and close out a temporary water treatment facility and a permanent water treatment facility鈥� in the city, according to a copy of the agreement.
The city keeps control of the $98 million it received, along with other federal and it has received as part of the replacement project. Its main job is to pay for all the work the state does, according to the agreement.
On Tuesday, state environment officials announced that they鈥檇 successfully completed a half-dozen projects that aim to improve the city鈥檚 water filtration system and ensure the public is kept in the loop on what they鈥檙e drinking.
One of the most important improvements is the installation of temporary 鈥減re-treatment鈥� equipment at the city鈥檚 water treatment plant, said Jonas Armstrong, director of NMED鈥檚 Water Protection Division, in an interview Tuesday afternoon with Source. The city procured the equipment, which removes extra sediment and debris in high-turbidity or runoff events, last year.
鈥淸The city was] having some issues earlier this year with getting it connected and making sure it was operating correctly,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e worked through that with them in the last couple months, and it鈥檚 connected now and ready to go. So that鈥檚 a big improvement.鈥�
The state has also begun upgrades to filters at the existing facility; replaced a vacuum system that removes scum and floating debris from the Gallinas River; and built a sediment pond near a reservoir to reduce flooding and contamination risks, according to a news release Tuesday.
Armstrong deferred questions about the costs of the improvements to the city, including how much of the $98 million the city received last year has been spent. A spokesperson for the city*, in an email to Source on Wednesday, did not answer the question about the funds but noted that the city鈥檚 new manager, Robert Anaya, would be updating the City Council on numerous water-related matters at a , including 鈥渁n extensive discussion on current initiatives and updates related to the water treatment plant, water distribution and storage, and various concepts and recommendations under consideration.鈥�
While the state does not expect to begin construction on the new facility until next year at the earliest, Armstrong said the changes should offer a measure of comfort to Las Vegas residents who鈥檝e seen their drinking water supply repeatedly compromised due to floods and equipment failures.
鈥淚 think the pre-treatment system being brought online and ready to go at the flip of a switch is a big advancement, and an assurance that the shutdowns and the restrictions that have happened in the last couple of years should not happen again,鈥� Armstrong said.
Armstrong said the joint agreement has been 鈥渞eally collaborative so far,鈥� with the state drawing on local knowledge about how best to tailor the project to the city鈥檚 needs. When it鈥檚 finally built, the new water treatment system will be a 鈥済enerational asset,鈥� given the adequate funding and the state鈥檚 technical expertise, he said.
鈥淭his existing facility is 50-plus years old and needs to be replaced, and having the federal funds and the state funds to do it is a huge opportunity for the city and the people of Las Vegas,鈥� he said.
Update Aug. 20 at 12:05 p.m.:This story has been updated with comment from the City of Las Vegas.
NM to release $40 million for projects to treat brackish water - Danielle Prokop, exico
New Mexico officials told lawmakers Wednesday that they will unveil in the coming week the requirements for municipalities and private companies to seek funds to treat less-drinkable water from below ground.
Earlier this year, lawmakers passed to establish the Strategic Water Supply, which includes $40 million to treat salty waters in aquifers and alleviate the stress from and .
The bill represented a slimmed-down version of the touted by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, which would have included efforts to treat wastewater from oil and gas projects and had a half-a-billion dollar price tag.
Leadership at the Office of the State Engineer and the New Mexico Environment Department, which manages the program, told lawmakers at the legislative Water and Natural Resources Committee meeting this week in Las Cruces that the $40 million will exclusively be used for grants for local governments or contracts with private companies.
鈥淭he goals for the program are to encourage communities to be able to withstand that potential future of less water supply available, and to allow them to diversify supplies that they have amongst service water, groundwater, recycled water elements,鈥� said Deputy State Engineer Tanya Trujillo.
While no specific projects have been put forward, are increasingly looking to desalination to increase water supplies.
For desalination to work, some of the water may have to be treated for more than just salt, in order to address contaminants such as arsenic or uranium. As part of the new initiative, the state is undertaking a to determine the shape, size and quality of New Mexico鈥檚 aquifers. Researchers at New Mexico State University, in partnership with the environment department, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources and private owners say they have thus far sampled water from 19 aquifers to test for quality.
Pei Xu, one of the NMSU researcher in the civil engineering department, said further research will be needed.鈥淭he challenges and opportunities of developing brackish water is understanding the quantity and the quality of the water aquifers,鈥� Xu said.
Officials said they would have feasibility studies to compare the costs of any proposed projects for treating brackish water with benefits to the community or impacts on the environment.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want a science experiment,鈥� Deputy Cabinet Secretary John Rhoderick told lawmakers. 鈥淲e want results.鈥�
Rhoderick said he anticipates requests for grant funding will 鈥済reatly outstrip鈥� the $40 million allocated by the Legislature, and said the departments would likely seek further funding in the 2026 session.
Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Albuquerque) asked how the push to install expensive infrastructure for desalination is being balanced with cheaper policy options to conserve water.
Rhoderick and Trujillo said an 鈥渁ll of the above approach鈥� is necessary.
鈥淣othing is more apparent than the reality that the only way we solve water problems in New Mexico is by utilizing 100 different methods,鈥� Rhoderick said. 鈥淭here is no one-size-fits-all solution.鈥�