3 dead, 15 injured in mass shooting at New Mexico Park

At least three people were killed and 15 others were injured during a mass shooting at a park in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Friday night (local time), police told CNN.

Two 19-year-olds and one 16-year-old – all men – were killed in the shooting that took place around 10 pm (local time), Las Cruces Police said in a Facebook post. The victims' identities remain unknown.

The people injured range in age from 16 to 36 years old, police said.

No one has been arrested yet in connection with the shooting, but police are "actively following multiple leads," read the post.

What led to the New Mexico mass shooting?

Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story said at a Saturday news conference an altercation between two groups at an "unsanctioned car show" in Young Park escalated to gunfire.

About 200 people were at the show at Young Park when gunfire erupted around 10:10 p.m., the police were quoted by the New York Times as saying.

The shooting involved handguns and resulted in the discharge of as many as 60 rounds, officials said.

He said police collected handgun-caliber casings from the scene. Story updated the number of people injured to 15, from an original count of 14 in the Facebook post.

Among these injured people, seven were sent from local hospitals to El Paso for further treatment, Las Cruces Fire Chief Michael Daniels said at the news conference.

Four patients were treated and released. The status of the other four patients is unknown, he said.

"This is a sad day for our community," Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez said at the news conference.

He added, “I want to ask the community to gather together, to stand strong and united as we try to heal and face this tragic event that took place in our city.”

In a Saturday Instagram post, Las Cruces City Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem Johana Bencomo described the shooting as "a heinous act of violence that will leave our city mourning."

"My heart is broken for the victims and families impacted," she wrote.

Las Cruces is located on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, around 41 miles north of the US-Mexico border.

(With inputs from ANI)