Police arrest teen accused of shooting APS custodian
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A 17-year-old is accused of shooting and injuring an APS custodian several months ago.
Daniel Trujillo was arrested back in June. Since then, police have connected him to a number of crimes across the metro, including the shooting at Kennedy Middle School.
Once he was in custody, police were able to connect the dots pretty quickly. With a combination of ballistics testing and cell phone data, they were able to place the teenager at the Kennedy Middle School the night the custodian was shot.
Trujillo was in front of a judge Tuesday, facing charges of attempted murder and unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon.
The state asked the judge to ensure Trujillo stays behind bars:
“This child is a substantial risk of harm to himself and others. Many of the referrals involve a firearm and threatening other people.”
In the end, the judge agreed with the state but also thought Trujillo needed a mental evaluation.
“Given the current circumstances where he is pending charges on another case and has this new case, and reading the affidavit there may be other things on the horizon. Let’s have that new mental health assessment, so the court will order that,” said the judge.
Trujillo is accused of shooting APS custodian Paul Tafoya on June 23 outside Kennedy Middle School.
According to police, he was asking three people who were trespassing on the campus to leave when one of the children – Daniel Trujillo – became violent.
The arrest warrant says the teenager walked toward Tafoya slapping his phone out of his hand, and then pushed the custodian to the ground.
Trujillo then stood over him and fired two shots hitting Tafoya in the chest and the shoulder.
An APS spokesperson says Tafoya is still recovering from his injuries and hasn’t been able to return to work.
According to police, Trujillo was arrested a few days later for a different crime – armed robbery.
Once he was in custody, police did some ballistic testing on the gun he used and were able to connect it to the shooting at Kennedy Middle School, and a homicide investigation from earlier in the summer.
Then, using cell phone data they were able to confirm Trujillo was at KMS the night the custodian was shot.
APS Superintendent Scott Elder added this case is a grave reminder the community must find a way to keep guns out of the hands of children.
APS sent the following statement on the shooting:
“On Thursday, Aug. 31, Albuquerque Public Schools Police arrested 17-year-old Daniel F. Trujillo on charges of attempted murder and unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting of Kennedy Middle School custodian Paul Tafoya. Tafoya arrived on the school campus on the morning of June 23 and noticed trespassers on campus. He asked them to leave the property and was shot after one of the intruders became combative, pulled out a gun, and fired three shots.
Bullet fragments remain in Tafoya’s neck and back. Tafoya is still recovering from the serious injuries and has not been able to return to work.
We remain grateful that Mr. Tafoya is still with us and on the mend,” said Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Scott Elder. “Our APS Police detectives who worked this case deserve our gratitude and praise, but the assault is still unnerving. As a community, we must find a way to keep our kids away from violence and protect everyone from violence. We can’t let this continue.”
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