The only adult thus far charged in connection with Friday night’s mass shooting at Las Cruces’ Young Park had previously faced serious criminal charges in Texas — including smuggling offenses that prosecutors say point to his danger to the public.
Court documents from El Paso County show that 20-year-old Tomas Rivas was charged in January 2024 with four counts of smuggling persons and one count of evading arrest. His criminal history dates back to 2021 when he was 17 and arrested for transporting an illegal immigrant.
These past and pending charges are now part of the evidence presented by the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office in a motion to keep Rivas in jail pending trial. Prosecutors argue that no conditions of release would ensure public safety.
“[He] has a history of criminal activity which appears to be gang-related,” the District Attorney’s Office noted in its pretrial detention motion. Rivas, they added, has been residing in Las Cruces for some time and is employed at a local Sonic Drive-In.
Rivas is among four individuals — including three teenagers — charged in the deadly shooting that killed three young people and wounded 15 others. According to police, multiple people opened fire into a crowd during an unsanctioned car show at Young Park. The victims were identified as Dominick Estrada, 19; Andrew “AJ” Madrid, 16; and Jason Gomez, 17.
Rivas and the three teens — two 17-year-olds and a 15-year-old — each face three counts of first-degree murder. Police said Rivas and one of the teens attempted to dispose of four handguns in a dumpster. Those firearms, all semi-automatic pistols, were later recovered.
Authorities also reported that one teen sought refuge in a nearby apartment, where a resident later found another gun that belonged to him. All three juveniles were booked into the juvenile unit of the Doña Ana County jail, while Rivas was held in the adult section after being arrested on Las Cruces’ north side.
Third Judicial District Attorney Fernando Macias told the Albuquerque Journal that he plans to prosecute all four as adults. “The first thing that we’re going to address, hopefully very quickly, is keeping them in custody,” Macias said. He added that under New Mexico law, suspects over age 15 can be charged as adults.
The shooting, which shook the Las Cruces community, follows years of concerns about youth involvement in criminal smuggling operations along the El Paso-Sunland Park corridor. Law enforcement and school officials have long observed how teenagers in the Borderland are recruited into these networks, sometimes with deadly outcomes. Federal agencies like the U.S. Border Patrol have been working for over a decade with local schools in attempts to curb recruitment.
Court filings suggest Rivas may have been involved in such a smuggling network.
As of Monday, prosecutors had filed a motion for pretrial detention. Rivas’ attorney, Thomas Clark, told the Journal he expected a hearing to be scheduled later in the week. Attorneys have also been appointed to represent the juveniles.
Meanwhile, despite repeated concerns from law enforcement, prosecutors, Republicans, and even Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham about rising juvenile violence, Democrat lawmakers in the New Mexico House and Senate declined to advance legislation during the recently concluded 60-day legislative session that would have strengthened penalties or accountability measures for violent juvenile offenders.
Calling a special session wont do anything but advance disarming law abiding citizens and the disposal of their personal property John.
Isn’t it evident right now the DNC of NM would rather compensate the murderers with $2,000 a month and a free college education?
A special session means the DNC of NM would rather advance disarming people through regulation to shut down gun stores.
We, right not, the people and lawful gun owners of NM right now cannot lawfully gift, loan, or sell a firearm to a friend or family member.
Red flagged, disarmed, rid the gun shops across the State, then advance the DNC’s anti gun agenda even further? That’s what a SE will do.
Build 2 new prisons John. Build 20 new Juvenile detention centers across the State. FUND THAT.
Remove no bail. Remove no prison time. Remove good time credits for all capitol,1st degree felons as well as some 2nd degree felons… If its a violent crime, remove plea bargaining.
Fund it by advancing gambling across the State.
Can it be funded by all the marijuana tax monies?
Where is that money? And can we find it online ?
👍🏼
Clare has it right !!!! Sounds pretty simple to me
Far too long… the mindset of the so called elected have been stuck on stupid.
Since 1997 when the DNC took over, then Governor Johnsons attempt to reintroduce gambling…lawful gambling… has been sucked into no mans SPECIAL SIN TAX LANDS.
Just stop it already. 26% tax on State run casinos while tribes get a sliding scale from 6% to like 11% depending on income. Ill call it since the tribes cannot have horseracing in that agreement.
HORSESH*T.
We got views, we got open spaces, we got the land of enchantment who could expand tourism 100 fold and gambling 10,000 fold.
Well regulation appears to be the normal thing for the DNC, so insure the new gambling halls are well regulated and keep the fricking mob out of it just like we have been doing since 1997.
Are you sure you want New Mexico to look like Las Vegas?
The next time these demoNAZI led punk criminals kill innocent citizens hopefully it will be the demoNAZI leaders family members. The private citizens are always the ones that pay the price for these abhorrent democRAT leaders decisions and beliefs. Until this state can rid itself of the evil and misguided leadership of the demoNAZI’s party strangle-hold on New Mexico this state will continue to be Last in the Best of Things and First in the WORST of things!!!! NM has now joined california as part of growing HELL on Earth!
NM had billions $ in surplus just this year. What did the marxists in Santa Fe do? Just create more “social “ program scams that do nothing for the public and use the money to further erode our constitutional rights! I don’t believe gambling is the answer! Both Louisiana and Mississippi have legalized state gambling and both along with NM are always at the bottom of the poverty scale. Racinos and tribe gambling have done nothing to help NM out of poverty. Back in the 50s and 60s when New Mexicans were able to use the states natural resources ie logging , mining , ranching, oil drilling ,The state was on the path to prosperity . The curtailing of these resources from fake environmental issues and a hands off policy from out of state interests was the death knell for many small towns across the state. Giving more money to the regime currently in power will only impoverish NM further.
Only so much ranching and farming contribute to the State. They are about maxed out in revenue generation. Only so many mines can be worked until they play out and are not profitable.
The oil and gas is best Stateside generator of revenue, I agree… it is far from being maxed out.
Gaming right now, has put over a TRILLION DOLLARS OF TAX GENERATED REVENUE INTO THE STATE… Since 1997. You can verify that number of over $1,000,000,000.00 on the State website at the NMGCB. and that number of cash dont include jobs and taxes paid by employers and employees… AND THAT IS WITH THE SIMPLISTIC MINDSET OF LIMITED GAMBLING IN NEW MEXICO SET FORTH BY THE DNC OF NEW MEXICO.
As I recall gambling, with the highly restricted limits imposed by the DNC of NM, was 17th in revenue generation… well over $140,000,000.00 per year, every year except COVID shutdown… FOR TAX REVENUE STREAMS. and then only on SLOT MACHINES… not a penny of card games was taxed by the State against and levied against the Indian Tribes participating in the Tribal gaming compact agreement.
SIN TAX… is alive and well. Gamblers look for a decent game free from corruptive practices… right now the States own corruptive practices are intentionally limiting gambling…in a State known, pre Statehood, for gambling and horseracing.
Fair tax, honest gaming, State tax generation that can be better than Nevada… Oh… dont even look at Nevada’s gaming stream revenues. It might scare the panties off every liberal left DNC of NM member.
Wow ! Trillions of dollars in revenue!! A doge question, where did the money go??? And why is NM last in everything including economic growth , this since the 1980s (Pinon post article last week)! I don’t think revenue is our problem in NM but I do believe corruption is.
All revenue streams are accounted for that are collected by the NMGCB. The problem will not be within the New Mexico Gaming Control Board… NMGCB. I guarantee that…far too many checks and balances for fraud have been instituted since Johnson started it.
The taxes collected by the NMGCB from State run Racinos and non profits (not the tribal casinos), are sent either to the NM Taxation and Revenue Division General Fund, and the 20% cut to the Horse Racing Commission.
After that… who tf knows. While a Horse Racing Commissioner sits on the board of the NMGCB… the Horse Racing Commission does not answer to the NMGCB and the 20% cut the Horse Racing commission has never been audited by the NMGCB. The horse racing industry sits by its own administers…and the NMGCB has no control over their check and balances.
See any problem there?
The lottery division is another issue all together. They, The NM LOTTERY, do not answer to the NMGCB… again another independent organization with their own board and investigators and auditors.
See a problem there?
The Indian tribes report to the State what they want, but only from slot machines… not poker, not live tables. That is a problem… but they pay the feds taxes… not the State and they don’t have horse racing. Compact agreements prohibit Horse Racing by Indian tribes.
Tribal liaison exists in the NMGCB… but what happens to the cash generated by the tribes is a sovereign tribal nation problem… They, all the tribes, report about the same amout ever year as the 5 state run casinos do. Amazing.
…and last time I worked…2015… the cash flow was increasing every year.
..and yes… no doubt we have collected more than 1 trillion bucks JUST IN STATE TAXES IN GAMBLING… I’d bet closer to 2.5 trillion now. But compared to oil and gas… it a about 1/15th of what oil and gas does.
Goobernors come and go… taxes get spent on 10 million dollar clinics in Taos all the time. Just sayin…
Just another tidbit of information and AN OPINION…
Unsanctioned Car Show. WTF is that? Where is that written in any law? An unauthorized public gathering of people who are showing off the pride they had of private property located on public spaces… has now become HEADLINES ACROSS AMERICA!
What in the **** has the media pounced on now? The DNC mindset will now create… out of a fantasy world they rest their collective minds in… The DNC will now attempt to to ban… all sudden public gatherings not otherwise sanctioned by the elected?
The media fuels the need for a law like this. So it will be so… Is that what this so called special session will address?
Not even close. They want to ban guns…not the cars… not the people…guns. Show a AR in public.. get the wrath of the media…even if you do not shoot the AR. Funny thing is, that AR wielding kid wasn’t shot… Why? Was it because he was over 18?
Shooters under 21… all with handguns… Some victims under 21…Shot with a handgun… by a kid under 21… Seems to me that regulation by the State DNC law and the Federal ATF fell flat on its a**.
How many kids will be charged with that crime? Possession of a handgun at a public gathering, concealed or not… Will it be because their parents were present?
Curious minds would like to know…
Ay. Mamacitas and abuelitas will cry they knew nothing and their child could never do such a thing.MEXICAN SECRETS are kept in familias
DA Brennan in today’s Journal ( headlines) decries legislative inaction on juvenile crime.36 purposed changes io Children Code went nowhere.
Through bills addressing juvenile crime often had Republican backing this year, Bergman wouldn’t say whether he believes there were “ potential motivations by Democrats to block such legislation….
Bingo… that statement from Bergman says it all. The mentality of the Democratic Party is vile, corrupt and incompetent. The voters of NM who elected them to office are just as responsible and share this debacle in Las Cruces.
It’s worth your read to read the entire article. Bergman has defended the worst of the worst as a lawyer. He sees where he has been with the criminals.
No worries, the two juveniles will be rehabilitated and given two thousands tax-payers dollars a month as they become professional importers and exporters of contraband. Meantime, Rivas will be in prison and with the support of his two homies tax-payer monthly stipend he will build his own enterprise within the confinement walls. What a novel idea (HB 255) by the Dems, making criminals model entrepreneurs.
Besides, for the far-left Dems, these three, are just victims of a civilized society that demands “Law n Order”, “Common Sense”, “Accountability,” and “Justice for Crime Victims n their Families,” which were concepts outlined in the now demise HB 134.
Keep Praying New Mexico, the nightmare will end soon…… Remember, “God Always Wins”!
It’s new Messyco
Run by the demoniac party
Is Rivas even here legally?
ICE would be interested in Rivas.
Where did these kids learn the behavior to solve their problems with firearms?
TV
Movies
Video Games…
Can we just say from “media”?
Humans learn by watching other humans. That’s a simple fact.
Watch the garbage pushed into young people’s minds. Look up the Venona Papers. The communofascists have an agenda.
These kids are still responsible for their crimes; Did you go to the movies? Did you watch that “latest show that you just couldn’t miss,” on netflix? Does the company that produced the media you consumed make other media where the characters mis-use/mis-handle/abuse firearms? Did you buy your kid the latest “shooter”? Stop funding the communofascist agenda- turn it all off. Defund hollywood and leftist media machines, you can do it!
The truth about this is the police allowed this to happen. They didn’t set a safe scene and they Surrendered to the LAWLESS. They claim to be short handed but for Two Hours after the park was supposed to close the Mayhem continued. They could have called out the Sheriff’s Office and the State Police. They Didn’t. Guess who’s gonna get SUED?? The City… Guess who’s gonna PAY??? THE TAXPAYERS….
WHAT A CLUSTER F U K