The killing of 23-year-old Eden Rock happened in a narrow alley south of Central Avenue, near the edge of the University of New Mexico campus — an area within southeast Albuquerque where students, residents, and late-night traffic often converge after dark. Now, police say the shooting was not random.
Albuquerque Police Department investigators said Thursday they had already placed four young men into custody in connection with the fatal shooting. The incident unfolded shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday between Cornell Drive and Stanford Drive.
The police identified the suspects as Tenard Weekly, 20; Evan Rogers, 20; Junior Lewis, 19; and Jaylen Hopewell, 20.
Surveillance footage captured the four men arriving in a vehicle, APD said. The suspects positioned themselves behind a dumpster in the alleyway, apparently waiting. When Rock walked past, the four men rushed him and knocked him to the ground.
Weekly shot first, investigators allege. A second shot was fired while Rock was already on the ground. Officers responding to reports found Rock suffering from gunshot wounds. He died at the scene.
Police said acoustic gunshot detection technology recorded two shots fired at around 10:47 p.m. on May 13. By Thursday evening, the police said all four suspects had been arrested earlier in the day.
Detectives said the attack appeared to be “pre-planned.” But authorities have yet to publicly discuss a possible motive for the fatal shooting or detail the relationship, if any, between the suspects and the victim.
The latest shooting incident added to ongoing concerns about violent crime in areas surrounding the university zone, where student housing, nightlife, and traffic corridors intersect in a concentrated area.