US: 3 dead, 15 injured in New Mexico mass shooting

Las Cruces [US], March 23 (ANI): Three people were killed and 15 were injured during a shooting at a park in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Friday night (local time), CNN reported, citing local police.

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Two 19-year-olds and one 16-year-old were killed in the shooting, which occurred around 10 pm (local time), according to a Facebook post from Las Cruces Police.

The victims' identities remain unknown.

The people injured range in age from 16 to 36 years old, according to police.

No one has been arrested yet in connection with the shooting, but police are "actively following multiple leads," read the post.

An altercation between two groups at an "unsanctioned car show" in Young Park escalated to gunfire, Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story said at a Saturday news conference.

He added that police have collected handgun-caliber casings from the scene. Story updated the number of people injured to 15, from an original count of 14 in the Facebook post.

Seven of the people injured have been sent from local hospitals to El Paso for further treatment, Las Cruces Fire Chief Michael Daniels said at the news conference. Four patients have been treated and released. The status of the other four patients is unknown, he said.

"This is a sad day for our community," Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez said at the news conference.

"I want to ask the community to gather together, to stand strong and united as we try to heal and face this tragic event that took place in our city," he said.

In a Saturday Instagram post, Las Cruces City Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem Johana Bencomo described the shooting as "a heinous act of violence that will leave our city mourning."

"My heart is broken for the victims and families impacted," she wrote.

Las Cruces is located on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, around 41 miles north of the US-Mexico border. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)