On December 17, 2022, a house party on Albuquerque’s West Side turned deadly when a group of five males who had been ejected after causing disturbances fired shots into the home. Eighteen-year-old Albuquerque Academy student Jada Gonzales was struck by one of those rounds and died of her injuries on December 18, 2022.

Investigators identified and later arrested several suspects connected to the shooting. Four teenagers — Jesse Parra, Cruz Medina, Isaiah Espinoza, and Julian Prieb — were taken into custody in 2023 in relation to the homicide and alleged conspiracy. A fifth suspect, 19-year-old Jese Barrios, was arrested on January 11, 2024, and has been charged with murder and related counts including conspiracy, shooting at a dwelling or occupied building, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, and tampering with evidence.

The arrests followed work by investigative detectives and officers from the Northwest Area Command of the Albuquerque Police Department. Jada is remembered in the community as a promising and beloved student. Did anyone at the party or nearby see the group before they were removed or notice vehicles involved?