New Mexico State men’s basketball player Mike Peake was “lured” to the University of New Mexico campus by four New Mexico students where he was shot and wherein he shot and killed one of the students, according to reports.
UPDATE on tonight's game… pic.twitter.com/lfXsSlNNVq
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At around 3 a.m. last Saturday morning, the day of the New Mexico State vs. New Mexico game, Peake was shot by Brandon Travis, a 19-year-old New Mexico student. Peake then used a gun he had to shoot Travis, according to police. Travis was pronounced dead on the scene.
“Through investigation, agents later learned that Travis had conspired with a 17-year-old female and two of Travis’s male friends, all UNM students, to lure the 21-year-old victim to UNM campus and assault him,” the New Mexico State police statement said.
The 17-year-old female, Mya Hill, has been arrested and charged with aggravated battery and conspiracy.
How Many Students Conspired To Murder Basketball Player Mike Peake?
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Jonathan Smith, Travis, Hill, and another male UNM student hatched a plan to lure Peake to the UNM campus and attack him to exact revenge on him for his role in a fight in the stands during the UNM-New Mexico State football game earlier this fall in Las Cruces.
Smith was charged with aggravated battery, conspiracy to commit aggravated battery and tampering with evidence.
Peake and Hill connected through a dating app and had been talking for some time and Hill allegedly lured Peake to the New Mexico campus at the request of Travis.
According to New Mexico State University officials, students are not allowed to have any weapons on university property or at university sponsored activities. Doing so is a violation of the student code of conduct.
Despite the fact that Peake was lured to the New Mexico campus, he still possessed a deadly weapon. Not only is it a violation of the school’s policy, but it suggests he suspected this meeting wasn’t what it was intended.
Then there is the matter of both him and Travis possessing guns. How many times do we need to see gun violence before something is done about the ease at which people can secure these weapons?
Gun Violence On College Campuses
According to Gun Violence Archive 39,571 people in the United States have been killed this year due to gun violence. Another 35,086 injured.
Travis lost his life because he and his friends suffered a beating in a fight, and he wanted revenge.
We don’t know the particulars of the original incident at the football game this fall between Peake and Travis. But whatever it was, violence was the resulting action.
Travis is dead, his friends at UNM are now facing criminal charges and Peake has to live with the fact that he killed someone and will likely be dropped from the basketball team.
When there are no healthy outlets for people to deal with whatever situations exist, they take matters into their own hands. Escalating a physical fight to a revenge plan involving guns is a going way too far.
As a society we need to do better for ourselves and each other.
