ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A New Mexico State University student-athlete was involved in the fatal shooting of a student from the University of New Mexico hours before the scheduled tipoff of a men's basketball game between the rival schools that was later postponed, authorities said Sunday.
State police said the 19-year-old University of New Mexico student was declared dead at the scene of the shooting around 3 a.m. Saturday following a shootout outside a dormitory at UNM's Albuquerque campus.
ESPN identified the New Mexico State student-athlete as 21-year-old Mike Peake, who formerly played at Blue Valley Northwest. Peake was wounded in the altercation but was listed in stable condition at the hospital.
Allegedly, Peake's shot killed the 19-year-old.
“We also know that another person has lost their life following that altercation... Some of our athletics personnel stayed behind in Albuquerque to be with our student-athlete,” New Mexico State University Chancellor Dan E. Arvizu said in a letter to students, parents, employees, alumni and fans. “NMSU personnel have been in contact with investigators and have been cooperating with law enforcement throughout.”
While Arvizu did not identify the student-athlete as Peake, he said “additional circumstances surrounding this incident are still being investigated” and it's important that “no one rush to judgment until all the facts are made available.”
Police have said it is unknown how or why the two men crossed paths before they entered an altercation.
The sold-out game between the New Mexico State Aggies and New Mexico Lobos was postponed by officials from both schools in the wake of the fatal shooting.
“The entire Lobo community is shaken by this incident and we mourn the death of one of our students and the injuries sustained by another individual,” University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes said in a statement. “I cannot express how deeply saddened I am by this tragedy on so many levels.”
The fatal shooting came six days after a former University of Virginia football player allegedly killed three Cavaliers football players —which Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill honored with custom cleats for Sunday's AFC West showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers — and wounded two other students on the Charlottesville campus before being arrested.
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