Nick Ortega was 19 when he was killed in a mass shooting that broke out during a birthday party on Hilton Avenue in northeast Albuquerque. The gathering of about 25 people, mostly 18 to 20 years old, turned violent around 1 a.m. on Sunday, June 4, 2023. Ortega, identified as a White male, was found at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds and did not survive.

Police say the shooting followed a physical fight involving Ortega and two friends, Marcos Perez, 18, and Jordan Johnson, 18. Investigators report that Johnson produced a handgun and shot Perez, after which Ortega and Johnson exchanged gunfire. All three young men — Ortega, Perez and Johnson — were found dead; a 17-year-old girl was wounded in the leg and survived. Authorities said there was no ongoing threat to the community because all the shooters died during the confrontation, and no arrests were made.

Detectives continue to reconstruct the precise sequence of events that led to the triple homicide. If anyone attended that party or has information about what happened that night, please come forward to assist the investigation.