EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — National and local data are revealing a troubling trend in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic: juveniles are increasingly becoming involved in violent, and often deadly, crimes involving firearms.
While law enforcement officials note that the total number of juvenile arrests is not necessarily skyrocketing, the severity of the offenses is. In the Borderland — where two states and two major cities converge — the violence often spills across state lines, leaving families shattered and officials searching for answers.
A Deadly Trend in the Borderland
The surge in violence is punctuated by high-profile incidents, such as the 2023 Cielo Vista Mall shooting in El Paso and the 2024 shooting at Young Park in Las Cruces. Both cases involved juveniles firing weapons and resulted in murder charges.
The statistics paint a stark picture:
- Las Cruces: From 2020 to 2025, 17 juveniles were charged with murder or manslaughter, compared to zero in the previous five-year period.
- El Paso County: The number of homicide offenses committed by juveniles increased from 2 to 13 during the same five-year period.
“These are kids killing other kids. It’s your kids shattering families forever,” said Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story. “There hasn’t been accountability for the more serious crime. That’s an indication of a trend that is not a good trend for us.”…