Teens suspected in 2 separate shootings in Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Albuquerque police responded to Coronado Mall Saturday night after reports of shots fired inside.
Witnesses say they saw two teens running from the food court, and one fired a shot. Officers haven’t made any arrests.
Police took a video – originally posted online – into evidence showing a downtown shooting near Central and Fourth Street hours later.
Police arrested 18-year-old Zane Katzenberger in connection to it. He’s charged with aggravated battery and negligent use of a weapon.
APD reps say 17-year-old Andre Jaramillo turned himself in, in connection to it too. He’s in custody in the Juvenile Detention Center.
“It’s not just gun-free zones and school zones, but if you’re under 19 years of age in New Mexico you are not allowed to have a handgun, period. There are no exceptions, and obviously that’s being ignored by a lot of young people,” said Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman.
Bregman has visited a dozen schools in Bernalillo County so far, spreading the message about the seriousness of gun violence.
“Not only the dangers of somebody getting hurt, which we all know, but also the dangers of ending up in the criminal justice system and never getting out,” said Bregman.
Miranda Viscoli, co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence also visits local schools weekly. She brings people with lived experience who have been through the system, and local surgeons who see the physical effects for a 10-week program.
“Right now, we’re reaching over 600 students repeatedly, every single week in Albuquerque, and we are seeing that our young people are starting to change their minds about firearms. But it can’t be one conversation, it has to be many, and they have to be a part of that conversation,” said Viscoli.
Both agree, one of the most troublesome parts of this weekend’s downtown shooting is where Katzenberger says he got the gun – an app called Telegram.
“The access is really problematic. Really problematic,” said Bregman.
“Our young people can buy counterfeit money, drugs, and firearms off of this app. So it would be great if we could get rid of that app. But what’s going to happen? They’ll just create another one. So how do we get on prevention?” Viscoli said.
Whether it’s prevention or prosecution, they both say they’re not backing down.
“I think we’re at a crisis point, right? And I think we as adults have to ask ourselves, what do we do? Because we’re the ones that got young people in this mess,” said Viscoli.