A third individual has been charged at the federal level in connection with a shooting incident that occurred near a school zone in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in September 2025.
Court records indicate that on September 6, 2025, officers from the Las Cruces Police Department responded to reports of gunfire at Young Park. While no injuries were reported, multiple spent shell casings were found in the parking lot. Shortly after the shooting, police encountered John Anthony Orta and Steven Mendoza walking near Hermosa Heights Elementary School carrying firearms. Both men were arrested for negligent use of a deadly weapon and later faced federal charges for possession of a firearm in a school zone.
During their investigation, law enforcement officials obtained search warrants for Orta’s and Mendoza’s cell phones and reviewed social media messages related to the Young Park shooting. The messages identified Luis Angel Ruiz, age 22, as the person who fired the shots and claimed ownership of the firearm used. Investigators connected Ruiz to the weapon through social media posts showing him with it, eyewitness accounts, and ballistic evidence.
On September 24, 2025, Ruiz was stopped by Las Cruces police for traffic violations and arrested for driving under the influence. Officers recovered four firearms from his vehicle during this stop, including one handgun with an obliterated serial number. Ruiz admitted owning all four firearms. Investigators also found social media messages where Ruiz attempted to sell the firearm with the removed serial number.
Ruiz is now charged with discharging a firearm in a school zone and possessing a firearm with an obliterated or altered serial number. He will remain in custody until his detention hearing is scheduled. If convicted on these charges, he could face up to ten years in prison.
Orta pleaded guilty on December 29, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm in a school zone and faces up to five years in prison at sentencing.
Mendoza remains free under certain conditions while awaiting trial; no date has been set.
"First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today."
The case was investigated by the Southern New Mexico Safe Streets Gang Task Force from the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office Resident Agency with help from the Las Cruces Police Department's Street Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo is prosecuting.
"A complaint or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
