New Mexico
Family sues NMSU over deadly shooting on UNM campus
The family of the UNM student killed in an on-campus shooting is suing NMSU. The gunman was NMSU basketball player Mike Peake.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The family of a UNM student shot and killed by an NMSU basketball player at the UNM dorms in 2022 is now suing NMSU over it.
Police say a group of UNM students planned to jump NMSU basketball player Mike Peake. This was the night the team arrived to play in the Rio Grande Rivalry game in November 2022.
The confrontation involving the students and Peake stemmed from a fight at a football game a month before. It ultimately turned violent, with Peake shooting Jonathan Travis.
The family of Travis now suing NMSU, along with its athletic directors and the former basketball coaches. The family alleges they fostered a toxic culture in the basketball program, allowing players to openly carry guns. They also allege NMSU failed to do anything about the confrontation at the football game that they say could’ve prevented the shooting that left Travis dead.
The family is asking for punitive damages and a reimbursement of funeral costs.
The three students, who were with Travis at the time of the shooting, have all been convicted for their roles in the shooting.