Security guard recalls shooting at SE Albuquerque apartment

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Jake is a security guard and lives at Somerset Park Apartments in southeast Albuquerque. 

Last weekend, he was watching TV on the couch when he heard something in the parking lot.

“Mostly we deal with is maybe vagrants walking through – or trying to camp out and we just kind of – they got to move on,” said Jake. 

More than 30 gunshots rang out in an apparent shootout – a man was bleeding on the pavement and Jake jumped into action.

“At first I’m thinking ‘It’s the usual,’ and then all of a sudden it keeps going, and then I hear the blast, like a shotgun blast. So that’s when I’m running, grab my firearm and come around the balcony,” said Jake. “As I’m coming down the stairs that’s when they take a shot at me and I felt the debris, like the brick hit the back of my head.”

Jake says he never took a shot and says he didn’t realize how close the bullet was until he watched the surveillance video.

“That’s when I got chills down my spine,” Jake said. “I was like ‘Wow, that was really close.’”

We don’t really know what led up to the barrage of gunfire, but police say the guy bleeding on the ground was 19-year-old Wendolyn Asbury. 

A week before this shooting, Asbury allegedly took off and ditched police after a traffic stop where he lied about his name in a car that wasn’t his.

Police say he’s still in the hospital. While another juvenile was shot, Asbury is the only one facing charges.

“Just shocked. I mean, wondering where we went wrong raising these kids. And why they should even have handguns with them anyways. Obviously, something is wrong there,” said Jake. 

No one died. The investigation continues, but some worry the punishment won’t fit the crime.

“You can’t give violent offenders chances, I mean, it shows that they’re just going to be repeating and repeating,” Jake said. 

He says he’ll keep his head down while he continues trying to keep his neighborhood safe.

“I enjoy looking out and helping people,” said Jake.