Shooting suspect's mother contacts emergency services, expressing concern over her son's hallucinations
In the early hours of July 25, 2025, a tragic incident unfolded at the University of New Mexico's central campus in Albuquerque. Eighteen-year-old John Fuentes shot two teenagers inside a dorm room at Casas del Rio, a UNM dormitory. One victim, a 14-year-old, tragically lost their life, and a 19-year-old suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Following the shooting, the victims fled, and campus authorities evacuated hundreds of students while initiating a manhunt for Fuentes. The exact response details from UNM Police are still under investigation by New Mexico State Police.
As the day progressed, several 911 calls were made, aiming to assist police in locating Fuentes. One notable call was made by Joseph Fuentes, John's father, who attempted to help track his son's phone, which police and AT&T pinged to a university building. The calls occurred on that Friday, but the exact timestamps remain unclear.
Approximately 12 hours after the shooting, police arrested Fuentes during a traffic stop about 25 miles from the campus in Los Lunas, New Mexico. He was taken into custody without bond and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and tampering with evidence.
John Fuentes made his first court appearance virtually on July 26 or 27, 2025, where it was reported he had not yet entered a plea and was awaiting formal arraignment. The investigation, including the exact timeline of law enforcement response and 911 call details, remains ongoing.
Key locations during the incident included Einstein Bros. Bagels on Roma and Las Lomas Road, where AT&T tracked Fuentes' phone to an 89-meter (or 300-foot) radius. Fuentes dropped his phone from the rooftop during the incident. Court records also stated there was blood on the rooftop of Mesa Vista Hall, an academic building around the corner from Casas del Rio.
The shooting occurred during a video game session inside the dorm belonging to one of the individuals present. One of the young men in the dorm room told police Fuentes appeared to be on drugs before shooting the 14-year-old victim in the head.
Tessa Cannon, John Fuentes' mother, made a frantic 911 call reporting her son was on a rooftop, couldn't breathe, and was hallucinating. The last time she saw her son was at home in Peralta, just 10 minutes away from Los Lunas, after making breakfast burritos for him.
Joseph Fuentes, John's father, was in Albuquerque looking for his son after the 911 call. He did not have his son's location, and during the call, he mentioned his son's phone battery was at 1%. The dispatcher also noted pings from the police administration building and the UNM Anderson School of Management.
It is worth noting that AT&T relayed that once the phone battery was dead, they would no longer be able to ping the phone's current location.
John Fuentes has been booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center and is scheduled for a pretrial detention hearing on Tuesday. He is currently facing charges of an open count of murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and tampering with evidence in the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Michael LaMotte.
In the realm of general-news, the ongoing investigation delves into the details of the timeline of law enforcement response and 911 call details regarding the tragic shooting incident at the University of New Mexico's central campus. Additionally, health and crime-and-justice sectors are also involved, as John Fuentes stands accused of first-degree murder and aggravated battery, hinting towards potential drug usage before the shooting.
