More Local

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
• Former Marine to serve two years in jail for killing Albuquerque robber
• Wilson-Pearce battle for U.S. Senate exemplifies party's disparity

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

Police this morning draped crime scene tape around Mariposa Basin Park while investigating the city's latest and the week's second homicide — a 17-year-old boy.

The boy, whose name has not been released pending notification of his family, was shot to death at the park about 11 p.m. Thursday, Albuquerque police spokeswoman Trish Hoffman said.

Hoffman said two groups of young people met at the park.

Some neighbors reported hearing gunshots. Others said they were sleeping soundly when the deadly fight broke out at the park on the city's West Side.

Surrounded by houses, a day care center, a church and more open space, the park at Mariposa Basin Park on Taylor Ranch Road and Kachina Street Northwest, near Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School, is clean and large with tennis courts and a grassy area.

One park neighbor, who did not want to give her name for fear of her safety, said her house has been broken into twice this year.

John Kedge, 68, has lived across from the park for five years after moving from Española to escape crime there.

"I'm surprised that it happened on the West Side here. Usually this is a pretty good area. I thought our only problem was graffiti," he said.

Graffiti is visible, even on one of the day care windows, and city graffiti removal workers have said Kachina Street is one of their busiest streets.

The main focus of police attention at the park this morning was at the southeast corner of the park close to Kachina Street.

Detectives had blocked all entrances to the park as they looked for clues in the death. Three people were being questioned this morning, but no charges had been filed, Hoffman said.

The boy, who is white and from Albuquerque, was shot at least once in the torso and taken to University of New Mexico Hospital where he died. His family this morning had not yet been notified of his death, so Hoffman did not provide his name.

Hoffman did not know what school the boy attended, if any.

She said two groups of people in their late teens and early 20s met at the park. She said it isn't yet clear if the groups were friends or if they met at the park to fight.

A fight broke out between the two groups and the shot or shots were fired, Hoffman said.