Shooting at weekend student party leaves two injured
Lobos player JaQuan Lyle was present at house in which incident took place
ALBUQUERQUE — A shooting early Sunday at an o≠-campus party attended by University of New Mexico student-athletes left two people with injuries that were not life threatening, police said.
University of New Mexico athletic director Eddie Nuñez said a number of student-athletes attended the party and that the university is looking into the matter.
“We are aware of an incident that occurred on Saturday night involving some of our student-athletes,” Nuñez said in a statement Monday evening. “We are currently working through the proper channels to gather more information.
“We consider this matter very serious. As a department we are thankful that everyone is safe and that the situation as we understand it didn’t escalate. We will reserve comment until a more appropriate time when we have more information.”
One female victim was shot in the leg, according to a police statement. The other victim, who was not identified by gender, had a gunshot wound to the ankle.
An Albuquerque Police Department spokesman said officers responded to a call of a shooting just after 2 a.m. Sunday at a house in the 1300 block of Chama Street near the intersection of Louisiana Boulevard and Interstate 40. The caller said people were shooting at one another.
At least one men’s basketball player, senior JaQuan Lyle, was at the house when the incident took place, according to UNM head coach Paul Weir. Various online reports suggest that Lyle rented the house for the party, but neither the university nor Weir would confirm that.
The New Mexican learned that UNM sent an email to its student-athletes instructing them not to discuss the matter publicly until investigations are complete.
“I literally have not had a single piece of documentation on anything,” Weir said moments before his team practiced Monday afternoon in The Pit. “I’ve heard a lot of things and spoken to people about stu≠ but I think until I get physical documentation or just more credible information it’s hard for me to speculate on what would happen.”
Lyle had started the first 20 games of the season but missed the last two with a left knee injury.
The party took place Saturday night, the same night the basketball team was in Reno, Nev., playing Nevada. Lyle
didn’t make the trip while nursing his injury.
New head football coach Danny Gonzales said he was aware of what happened but did not elaborate, nor would he confirm various media reports that some of his recruits attended the party. The football program hosted dozens of prospective recruits for official on-campus visits last weekend and, as is commonplace in such visits, those recruits were shown around campus and town as part of the recruiting process.
Asked if Lyle would face disciplinary measures stemming from Sunday’s shooting, Weir said he would need more information before commenting. He said he has spoken to Lyle but wouldn’t disclose what was said.
“I’m going to keep that between us for now,” Weir said. “I think there’s a lot of di≠erent layers to it and hopefully once I get more official documentation I’ll be able to process what he told me and where that all fits.”
Weir said Lyle has been physically cleared to return to practice and even play in Wednesday’s game against San Diego
State, but Lyle didn’t take part in Monday’s practice.
“At this point, the players that played against Nevada are playing on Wednesday,” Weir said. “Obviously there’s been some things that have gone on recently with different guys and di≠erent positions but right now the guys we have are eligible, they’re cleared to play, they’re practicing — they’ll practice again [Monday].”
NOTES
Name tag, please: There was a new face at Monday’s practice. Freshman Bayron Matos has enrolled in courses for the spring semester, passed his physical and has been cleared to begin workouts with the basketball team.
The 6-foot-8 power forward from Chattanooga, Tenn., was assigned uniform No. 25 and took part in limited drills against the scout team in preparation for Wednesday’s game against undefeated, fourth-ranked San Diego State.
Weir said it could take up to a week or two to decide if Matos will play for the remainder of this season or assume redshirt status and begin play as a freshman next season.
“I would say at this point to be determined,”
Weir said. “He has his interests. I’m trying to look out for his best interests. I’m hopeful we will come to some conclusion; it is his decision at the end of the day. I’m trying to provide as much guidance on what a good decision might be. I’d be lying if I said I think he should probably redshirt.”
As of Monday, the possibility of seeing Matos run onto the floor against the Aztecs is, as Weir said, “highly unlikely.”
Checking in on Vance, JJ: Weir said 6-foot-9 junior guard Vance Jackson is likely out for Wednesday’s game as he continues to recover from a knee injury suffered Jan. 15 at Colorado State. He has missed the last three games and did not travel with the team to road games at UNLV and Nevada.
Weir also said there is no update on suspended guard JJ Caldwell, a 6-foot junior who has not played since UNM suspended him for allegations of battery against a female. Caldwell was not arrested nor charged, but he was temporarily banned from campus and evicted from his student housing unit.
He filed a lawsuit against the school for immediate reinstatement on Jan. 2 and neither Weir nor the athletics department has since commented about the matter.