Neighbors concerned by West Mesa gunfire near youth sports complex

Albuquerque neighbors concerned by West Mesa gunfire near youth sports complex

Residents near West Mesa say ongoing gunfire near a busy youth sports complex has been a problem for months. APD says patrols are ongoing.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It’s not the soundtrack you want to hear when you’re trying to fall asleep, and many people living in a northwest Albuquerque neighborhood say they’ve had enough of gunfire ringing out on the nearby West Mesa.

“There’s not a lot of homes out here, so we thought, ‘OK, it’s gonna be nice. It’s gonna be quiet.’ And it’s anything but. It’s always either the street racers or the gunfire we’re listening to,” said Stephanie Breezee, the HOA president of the Inspiration neighborhood near Nusenda Community Stadium.

Breezee and others told KOB 4 that while the sound of gunshots is commonplace, what happened Tuesday night isn’t.

They tell us that “hundreds” of gunshots could be heard continuously, raising concern that a stray bullet could one day seriously injure someone or even take their life.

Neighbors posted a photo in a community Facebook page showing what is reportedly a bullet hole near a window of a home.

“And all it’s gonna take is just one bullet to go the wrong way. And it’s gonna hit somebody. And it’s already hit the houses, so I’m wondering what is APD waiting for,” said Breezee.

That neighborhood is right across the street from the very busy Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex, which hosted numerous youth baseball games Tuesday night.

“It was rapid gunfire. Maybe 200-plus shots. So, it’s just constant shooting,” said Eric Johnson, who was working security for the venue.

Johnson said he just recently started working at that particular location and was caught off-guard by what was happening.

“It’s crazy because the kids are out here, and they come having family events, and you can’t have all that shooting so close,” he said.

While some in the area have wondered how the Albuquerque Police Department will tackle this situation, APD released the following statement on what their officers are already doing in the area:

“Our Northwest Area Command has been working on enforcement in the area. Officers have been doing regular patrols of the area and made a recent arrest.

On September 26, officers were notified of shots fired. Vehicles were located racing along Arroyo Vista. One of the drivers fled from officers and crashed nearby. The driver, 19-year-old Isaias Felix was arrested for fleeing an officer. A firearm was not found in his possession.

Additionally, we have our Open Space Officers assisting with patrols in the area in locations that cannot be accessed by vehicles. Lastly, all casings and projectiles that we’ve located in the area are collected and processed at our Crime Lab.”

The situation is also getting attention from the city councilor who represents the westside, Stephanie Telles, who said in a statement:

“Public safety is critical and I appreciate residents who speak up and report concerns like this to me. Their voices help me know what is happening in our neighborhoods. A resident reached out to me by email this morning about the gunfire near Community Stadium, and I share their concern. I have already been in touch with Chief Barker, and I’ll keep working with APD leadership and community members to address it.”

But Breezee says neighbors have been hearing something similar for months, if not years now.

“Now we need somebody to step up and say, ‘We’re going to protect this community,’ because we shouldn’t have to live like this,” she told KOB 4.

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