Santa Fe Roundhouse
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By Hannah Grover
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says legislators should be prepared for a special session in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Las Cruces.
The shooting occurred late Friday night at an event in Young Park in Las Cruces. Three people were killed and at least 15 were injured. The three people who were killed were all younger than 20 years old.
Lujan Grisham said she is “heartbroken and horrified” by the shooting.
“The indiscriminate nature of this shooting is both shocking and unacceptable, but sadly not surprising. This violence tears at the fabric of our communities and leaves wounds that may never heal,” she said in a statement.
The governor alleged state legislators have failed to address violent crime in communities across New Mexico.
“The devastating loss of Officer Jonah Hernandez in Las Cruces last year, and now this mass shooting, underscore the legislature’s years-long failure to address the crime crisis shattering lives and communities in our state,” she said. “New Mexicans are heartbroken, and they should also be outraged that their legislature will adjourn today without having passed a single bill to address juvenile crime or ban assault weapons. Their inaction is appalling and unacceptable.”
The governor is not alone in that assertion.
Sen. Crystal Diamond Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, made similar claims in a statement issued Saturday.
Brantley learned of the shooting while on the Senate floor and she called for a moment of silence early Saturday morning while the Senate was in session.
“When we cannot feel safe in our parks—where our kids, my kids, play—there is a deep moral failing by our government to protect its citizens,” Brantley said. “We must return to a place of safety and stop with the half-measures. Today is another reminder that despite all of our ‘progress’ on crime legislation, New Mexico criminals do not fear the strong arm of the law.”
A coalition of community organizations and community groups that call themselves the public safety coalition say this session brought some progress, but some key legislation failed to pass.
Some of those bills included creating a statewide criminal justice diversion pilot project and expanding access to home and community based services for individuals who are dealing with mental illness.
“While we can acknowledge steps forward this session, New Mexico still has significant work to do in reimagining public safety,” Lena Weber, interim policy director for the ACLU of New Mexico, said in a press release. “The bills that didn’t pass would have provided essential resources for struggling New Mexicans—from those battling with substance use to people facing housing insecurity. We need a comprehensive approach that addresses these underlying issues if we’re serious about creating safer communities. When we invest in prevention and support rather than just reaction, everyone benefits.”
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