This file photo released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by the Albuquerque Police Department shows Muhammad Syed. Market data provided by Factset. All rights reserved. But, its worth remembering that homicide detectives generally start their work after the crime is already done. Crime Statistics Our Department Officer Wellness Internal Affairs Behavioral Sciences Section Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Thats why we are pushing forward so fiercely. Additionally, APD has added new detectives to the homicide unit. (U.S. District Court), A reporter asked at a press conference earlier this month if Syed, a Sunni Muslim, could have been driven by anger that his daughter married a Shiite Muslim. It looks like nobody cares, Thomson says. A ShotSpotter activation showed 13 gunshots were fired, following by additional rounds, in the area of 417 Rhode Island Street, police documents show. FILE - This Aug. 9, 2020, still image taken from officer video provided by the Albuquerque Police Department shows the arrest of Muhammad Syed. On Sunday,the Albuquerque Police Department released images of a vehicle that they believe to have been used for transport in the four murders. Albuquerque Police: Man shoots self, unintentionally kills woman Police say a man shot himself and unintentionally killed a woman when the bullet passed through his Albuquerque Homicides: Why are there so many? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Syed, the main suspect in the slaying of four Muslim men in Albuquerque has committed regular acts of violence in the six years since he fled war-ravaged Afghanistan and resettled in the United States, according to police documents and court records. KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. The Albuquerque Police Department released body camera video of officers arresting the man who is being charged with the murder of two Muslims and suspected of killing two other Muslims. But, there are mixed feelings on the effectiveness of simply increasing police presence in troubled areas. Story tips can be sent to stephanie.pagones@fox.com and on Twitter: @steph_pagones. Syed, the suspect, has "denied having any involvement in the murders in this case," according to a criminal complaint. (Albuquerque Police Department via AP, File), Albuquerque police release body camera video of murder suspect being arrested. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Olympic ticket sales for Paris Games gets off to, 7 Cubs pitchers combine for no-hitter vs Machado,, Mikal Bridges helps Nets rally to stun Celtics, 115-105, NASCAR star Elliott has leg surgery after snowboard, U.S. jury poised to weigh international soccers, 2022 brought a record number of homicides. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP). Law enforcement officials in New Mexico identified 51-year-old Muhammad Syed as the primary suspect in a string of killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque over The 311 service is a single telephone number for all non-emergency City of Albuquerque inquiries and services. "The evidence that agents have been able to gather thus far in this rapidly unfolding investigation is obviously alarming with respect to the defendants short and frequent communications with his father both before and after the murder of Naeem Hussain," the motion stated. His father, 51-year-old Muhammad Syed, has so far been charged with murder for two of the slayings the deaths of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Aftab Hussein. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. In the first three quarters of 2021, Albuquerque had 111 violent crimes per 10,000 people, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. On Aug. 1, the third victim, local city planner Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, was gunned down, police said. In recent years, the data showed that inane, petty disputes increasingly sparked killings. Altaf Hussain cries over the grave of his brother Aftab Hussein at Fairview Memorial Park in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Paul Best is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. That count exceeds the 2021 record of 110 homicides counted by APD. Legal Statement. In the past, she says, it was easy to point the finger at political scapegoats or at gang violence. In December, the city named 14 people to its gun violence prevention and intervention task force to come up with recommendations over the next 12 months. All Rights Reserved. The four menall Muslimand from South Asia were ambushed, shot, and killed in Albuquerque since November 2021. Yet, I can pretty honestly say that I believe Chase Smotherman would have become violent if they had stolen his garden tools.. Legal Statement. 2023 The City of Albuquerque. Albuquerque Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Cecily Barker holds a flyer with photos of a car wanted in connection with Muslim men murdered as Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham looks on in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) A 14-year-old New Mexico boy accused of shooting and killing a classmate in 2021 has pleaded no contest to a charge of second There is one thing that certainly stands in the way of reducing Albuquerques violent crime, says Liz Thomson: In regards to reducing violent crime, investigating and solving violent crime, the blame game is the worst thing, she says. The motivation for that crime boils down to stolen marijuana and money. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Family members told judge that Bennie was missed and that it hurt even more that another child was the one who committed the crime. Early in the year, Albuquerque Fox News' Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Liz Thomson points out that there does appear to be similar connections among Albuquerques homicides. Altaf Hussain cries over the grave of his brother Aftab Hussein at Fairview Memorial Park in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. There, officers discovered Aftab Hussein "lying next to a silver Hyundai sedan at" nearby, with multiple apparent gunshot wounds. A spokesperson for the Islamic Center of New Mexico did not respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment. Stephanie Pagones is a Digital Reporter for FOX Business and Fox News. Liz Thomson, a retired APD homicide sergeant says the department saw a fair number of people shooting each other over relatively small amounts of drugs. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. An attorney for Syed did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. ", This undated file photo released by the City of Espaola shows Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, a planning and land use director who was killed in Albuquerque, N.M., on Aug. 1, 2022. Whats driving New Mexicos Fentanyl Crisis? Legal Statement. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. This link will take you to a site over which the City of Albuquerque has no control. Four men all from South Asia and all of whom practice the Muslim faith have been ambushed, shot and killed since November 2021, police have said. Market data provided by Factset. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) A 14-year-old New Mexico boy accused of shooting and killing a classmate in 2021 has pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree murder, prosecutors said Thursday. At the time, the city was on pace to shatter its homicide record and top officials described the violence as a scourge. Both the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office and APD say there continues to be challenges to preventing and solving violent crimes. , New Mexico man accused of sex crime against student, One person dead, another hospitalized in SE ABQ shooting, Case dismissed for teen accused of taking gun to, Dancing in the Cave at the University of New Mexico, Whats happening around New Mexico Feb. 24 Mar. The average police department saw a 7% rise in homicides, the data shows. Court documents filed in federal court provided more details about Naeem Hussain's killing, saying it appeared he had been followed to Lutheran Family Services, the resettlement agency, following funeral services for two of the other shooting victims. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal via AP). Neighbors say Jurisson was housesitting when someone confronted him in the driveway in what may have been an attempted carjacking. SON OF AFGHAN ALLEGED GUNMAN IN Albuquerque police and the FBI are investigating three recent murders of Muslim men for possible ties to the same offender, according to Albuquerque police. Yet one of the most basic crime prevention strategies is to make a place look clean, inviting, and cared for, she says. For non-emergency police calls, call 505-242-COPS. Hartsock also pointed out that APD has been working on increasing staffing and getting better technology along with focusing on detective training. With the help of an interpreter, he "denied having any involvement in the murders in this case," thecriminal complaint alleges. but officials have called him the "most likely" suspect in the murders of Naeem Hussain and 62-year-old Muhammad Zahir. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP). Several months before that, on Nov. 7, 2021, 62-year-old Mohammad Ahmadi was discovered shot and killed in the rear parking lot of a halal caf he owned with his brother on San Mateo Boulevard, according to city officials and local affiliate KRQE-TV. ALBUQUERQUE POLICE RELEASE BODY CAM VIDEO OF MAN SUSPECTED OF MURDERING MUSLIM MEN BEING ARRESTED, And before then, 41-year-old Aftab Hussein was fatally wounded on July 26, 2022. (Albuquerque Police Department via AP, File). Now, the APD is about 200 officers short of being fully staffed, he adds. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. In the most recent murder, 25-year-old Naeem Hussain was shot and killed in the parking lot of Lutheran Family Services, a resettlement agency. Family members of many victims have been frustrated. Data from APD. Community members are hoping to make a change when it comes to gun violence in the Duke City.The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has reported 97 homicide victims, so far, in 2021. ALBUQUERQUE POLICE, FBI INVESTIGATING POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN FOUR MURDERED MUSLIM MEN. Court documents state that two guns purchased by Syed and his father at an Albuquerque gun store in July had been partially painted white. This list will be updated as new information becomes available. But so far, 2021 homicides have been occurring further east. (City of Espaola via AP, File). This year began with more homicides than in 2020 and 2019. ALBUQUERQUE MURDER SUSPECT SAID HE WAS GOING TO TEXAS TO FIND NEW HOME, REFERENCED 'SHOOTING OF MUSLIMS': COPS. ' she says. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Shaheen Syed, 21, appeared in U.S. district court in Albuquerque on Monday, with the judge granting a motion by federal prosecutors to keep him behind bars pending the ongoing investigation into the deaths of four Muslim victims dating back to November 2021. All but three of the 2021 killings are being investigated by Albuquerque police, the Albuquerque Journal reported. It changed the Hargrove family forever and devastated hundreds of children, parents, school faculty and the community.. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. An Afghan refugee who was already facing two murder charges for the recent slayings of two Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was indicted on a third count Friday for allegedly killing another man who had just attended funeral services for the other two victims on Aug. 5. An Imam leads a group of men during the Dhuhr afternoon prayer at the Islamic Center of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, after the fourth Muslim man was murdered in the city. ALBUQUERQUE MURDER SUSPECT TRIES TO SPEAK IN COURT; FAMILY REPORTEDLY SAYS HE WAS HOME AT TIME OF SLAYINGS. As a result, violent crime including Albuquerques homicides are the result of what Huffmyer calls a mishmash of complex factors. Nicholas Huffmyer from the sheriffs office says that overwhelming police presence does work. Police said the victim 13-year-old Bennie Hargrove was trying to protect another boy who was being bullied. In December of last year, Kyle Hartsock, the deputy commander overseeing the departments Criminal Investigations Division spoke about why on KRQE News 13s podcast. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.(KRQE) There were more than 100 homicides in Albuquerque this year. An Imam leads a group of men during the Dhuhr afternoon prayer at the Islamic Center of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, after the fourth Muslim man was murdered in the city. Both men were killed Market data provided by Factset. Hartsock also notes that the department instituted regular check-ins on open murder cases to help come up with new ideas into investigations. And a lot of the homicides have occurred in hotels and motels, he says. Across the country, many police departments are reporting an increase in homicides. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Albuquerque recorded 76 murders in 2020, four fewer than in 2019. At the end of December 2022, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) published a list of 120 homicides that had occurred throughout the year. Albuquerque police release body camera video of murder suspect being arrested. Shaheen Syed, 21, pictured in a 2021 Florida drivers license photo included in court documents. The boy will remain in state custody until hes 21, the maximum sentence allowed for a child under New Mexico law. Market data provided by Factset. Other U.S. cities also saw increases in homicide numbers over the past year. Albuquerques geographic location, with a north-south-running freeway and ease of access to the border makes this a thoroughfare and hub for a variety of interstate criminal activity, he says. The most recent survey data from 66 police departments across the US show that the majority of those departments have reported an increase in the number of homicides from January to October 2021 compared to the same time frame in 2020. Legal Statement. According to the Albuquerque Journal, 27-year-old Muhammed Afzaal Hussain was shot and killed on Aug. 1, while 41-year-old Aftab Hussein was killed on July 26. He said in an email to The Associated Press that Albuquerque is in a better position now than most cities because of continued investments in public safety and new violence intervention programs. Given the recent increase in homicides, APD has been increasing both presence and engagement in certain areas, recently focusing on a Montgomery neighborhood with bouts of violence.