Third Defendant Charged in September 2025 School Zone Shooting

ALBUQUERQUE – A third defendant has been federally charged in connection with a September 2025 school zone shooting investigation in Las Cruces.

According to court records, on September 6, 2025, Las Cruces Police Department officers responded to reports of gunfire at Young Park in Las Cruces, New Mexico. No injuries were reported, but officers recovered multiple spent shell casings from the parking lot. Shortly after the incident, officers encountered two individuals, John Anthony Orta and Steven Mendoza, walking near Hermosa Heights Elementary School while carrying firearms. Both were arrested for negligent use of a deadly weapon and later charged federally with possession of a firearm in a school zone.

Handgun located on John Anthony Orta on September 6th, 2025 AR-15 style pistol located on Steven Mendoza on September 6th, 2025

During the investigation, law enforcement obtained search warrants for Orta and Mendoza’s cell phones and reviewed social media messages discussing the Young Park shooting. Those messages identified Luis Angel Ruiz, 22, as the person who fired the shots and claimed ownership of the firearm involved. Investigators linked Ruiz to the firearm through social media posts showing him in possession of the weapon, eyewitness statements, and ballistic evidence.

Instagram photo of Ruiz with what appears to be the same AR-15 style piston recovered from Mendoza on September 6, 2025

On September 24, 2025, Ruiz was stopped by Las Cruces police for traffic violations and arrested for driving under the influence. During that stop, officers recovered four firearms from the vehicle, including a handgun with an obliterated serial number. Ruiz admitted the firearms belonged to him. Investigators later identified social media messages in which Ruiz attempted to sell the firearm with the removed serial number.

Ruiz is charged with discharging a firearm in a school zone and possession of a firearm with a removed, obliterated or altered serial number. He will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Ruiz faces 10 years in prison.

On December 29, 2025, Orta pled guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm in a school zone. At sentencing he faces up to five years in prison.

Mendoza remains on conditions of release pending trial, which is not currently scheduled.

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 Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office's Southern New Mexico Safe Streets Gang Task Force investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department's Street Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Y. Armijo is prosecuting the case.

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.