Police say the man who was shot outside Highland High School doesn’t want to press charges against the other parent who shot him, but it doesn’t mean the two parents will be let off the hook.
Albuquerque Police confirmed with KRQE News 13 Thursday that both men involved in the fist fight turned shooting will now likely face felony charges for what happened.
The fight happened around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on Jefferson Street, right outside of Highland High School. Police say the men began fighting over an unknown issue and eventually one man shot the other with a gun.
Police have identified the man who was shot as Alex Placencio, who was said to have minor wounds. The other man said to have been involved in the fight has been identified by police as Juan Saucedo.
Shots were fired in front of dozens of students, staff and parents who were leaving the Highland High School campus following dismissal.
Since the fight and shooting, APD says Placencio told officers he doesn’t want to file aggravated battery charges against Saucedo. Police tell KRQE News 13 they still hadn’t spoken to Saucedo by Thursday.
“You have to have a victim to have a crime,” said Albuquerque Police Officer Simon Drobik.
While Albuquerque Police may not be able to pursue aggravated battery charges, Drobik says the accused parents will be held accountable for their actions
“You cannot get away with that. You will be charged with a felony crime,” said Drobik.
Drobik says officers will pursue the case for felony “public affray” charges, which essentially amount to charges for fighting in public.
“There’s a dueling charge, it’s rarely used, a dueling charge, felony ‘public affray,’ meaning that when you get involved in a fight on a public street,” said Drobik. “You bring weapons, it kicks up to a felony level.”
Witness videos shows the fight starting with Placencio getting a bat out of the trunk of a car, hitting the hood of a truck, then walking toward another man across the street.
Witness video then shows Placencio appearing to hit a man, thought to be Saucedo, in the middle of the street. Two gunshots can be heard on the video before the recording ends. Witnesses say Saucedo took off shortly after the sound of gunshots was heard.
“They have no regard for themselves, the public, for the law,” said Drobik of Wednesday’s fight.
Police say both men will face the public affray charge, but say the man who brought the gun near the school will face another charge.
“The individual that brought the gun to campus, not on the campus but in the area will be charged with bringing a gun in the area of campus,” said Drobik.
Police say the parents should be held accountable for the shooting.
“They’re not going to get away with it, you can’t just misbehave this way, you know like idiots, over… just looking at each other, mad-dogging each other,” said Drobik.
KRQE News 13 has also learned that Juan Saucedo and his wife Luz Saucedo, who was present at the shooting, are also the subjects of a civil personal injury lawsuit for a fight at Zuni Elementary in November 2015.
Read the civil personal injury lawsuit >>
According to the lawsuit which was filed by another parent, she was “rushed to the hospital and treated for a broken back and other injuries from the Saucedo defendants repeated blows and kicks.”
Albuquerque Police say they haven’t filed those charges against the two men involved yet but intend to soon.
Albuquerque Public Schools told KRQE News 13 Tuesday that because this didn’t happen on school property they can’t take any action against parents, other than warn them their behavior is not acceptable.
