Arrest Made in New Mexico School Custodian Shooting

A teenager has been arrested for shooting an Albuquerque, New Mexico, public school custodian in June, KRQE-TV reports.

Paul Tafoya, a custodian for Kennedy Middle School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was shot on June 23, after he found a group of teenagers trespassing on the school grounds just before 6 a.m. MT. The shooting left Tafoya with bullet fragments in his neck and back.

According to KRQE, shell casings found at the scene as well as cell phone records helped investigators connect the shooting to the suspect, 17-year-old Daniel Trujillo. Trujillo had been arrested for armed robbery just one week after the shooting. A gun recovered during that arrest was linked to the shooting.

In a statement, Scott Elder, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) superintendent, said, “Our APS police detectives who worked this case deserve our gratitude and praise, but the assault is still unnerving. As a community, we must find a way to keep our kids away violence and protect everyone from violence. We can’t let this continue.”

Trujillo faces the charges of attempted murder and carrying a gun on a school campus. According to the school district, Tafoya is still recovering from the shooting and has not yet been able to return to work.