Investigators say an 18-year-old carrying a rifle was detained near the scene; a 25-year-old man died at the location.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — An 18-year-old was arrested early New Year’s Day after officers heard gunshots downtown and found a 25-year-old man fatally wounded between Seventh and Eighth streets on Gold Avenue, authorities said. Police identified the suspect as Peyton Reagan and booked him into the Metro Detention Center.
Police say the shooting marked the city’s first homicide of 2026, occurring just before 3 a.m. on Jan. 1 in a nightlife and residential area on the edge of downtown. Investigators named the victim as Alexander Wilson, 25, who died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Prosecutors moved to keep Reagan in custody pending further court action, calling him a danger to the community. The case is in its early stages, with detectives working to map the path of gunfire, interview witnesses who were nearby at closing time and review camera footage captured around the block.
Officers patrolling near Gold Avenue reported hearing several shots shortly before 3 a.m., then seeing a person running with what appeared to be a rifle, according to police. Body camera footage released by the department shows officers confronting an 18-year-old at the corner of Gold and Eighth. “Step on out for me, Peyton,” an officer says in the video as the suspect complies and is handcuffed. Officers then moved toward the sound of gunfire and located a man down on Gold Avenue between Seventh and Eighth. Medics were summoned, but police said the victim, later identified as Wilson, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators marked shell casings and collected evidence on the street and sidewalk as the block remained taped off into the morning.
Reagan faces an open count of murder along with counts of conspiracy, attempted robbery and tampering with evidence, police said. Detectives did not immediately specify how many shots were fired; witnesses told reporters they heard between two and six. Authorities have not disclosed how the suspect obtained the weapon or whether anyone else fired. Police said the rifle seized near the arrest will undergo forensic testing, including ballistics and DNA swabs. The Office of the Medical Investigator will determine Wilson’s official cause and manner of death. Investigators are also canvassing nearby bars, apartments and businesses for security video and asking people who were out after midnight to share recordings that may show the moments before the shooting.
The shooting unfolded near a stretch of Gold Avenue that links downtown bars to residential blocks west of Seventh Street. The corridor has been the focus of stepped-up patrols during late-night hours on weekends and holidays. City records show homicide detectives typically see an early-year spike in cases around the holidays, and police leadership has highlighted the use of body cameras and nearby private cameras to speed arrests. In past incidents downtown, investigators have leaned on a combination of witness statements and camera footage to tie suspects to shell casings recovered at scenes. Thursday’s case follows that pattern, with officers reporting an immediate encounter with a person running with a rifle and a victim found a short distance away.
Prosecutors filed a motion asking a judge to keep Reagan jailed while the case proceeds, arguing he poses a flight risk and a danger to the community. A district court hearing on pretrial detention is expected in the coming days. If the court grants the motion, Reagan would remain at the Metro Detention Center while prosecutors present the case to a grand jury. If indicted, an arraignment date would be set and a trial timeline would follow under New Mexico’s speedy-trial rules. Detectives, meanwhile, plan additional interviews, forensic reviews of the weapon and clothing, and lab analysis of shell casings with a focus on confirming whether the rifle recovered matches the bullets that killed Wilson.
By late morning on Jan. 1, police had lifted the tape on parts of Gold Avenue but kept crime scene markers in place as technicians finished photographing the block. A nearby resident described being jolted awake by rapid shots and sirens crowding the street soon after. “It sounded like fireworks at first, then we realized it wasn’t,” said a neighbor who asked not to be named, citing safety concerns. Another passerby said officers moved quickly to detain a man near Eighth Street as more units poured into the area. Downtown workers returning after the holiday found storefronts open but foot traffic light while investigators continued to collect evidence.
As of Sunday, police had not announced additional arrests. Detectives say they are still building a timeline of movements leading up to the gunfire, including any attempted robbery referenced in the charging documents. The next key step is a detention hearing in District Court, expected this week, followed by a potential grand jury presentation. Police said updates would be released as laboratory testing and interviews are completed.
Author note: Last updated January 4, 2026.