Stadium shooting victim recovering at home
Posted at: 09/23/2012 8:34 PM
| Updated at: 09/23/2012 10:31 PM
By: Jill Galus, KOB Eyewitness News 4
A fan shot in the leg during the Lobos-Aggies game Saturday night has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
New Mexico State University police said the shooting happened during the game, but because they quickly determined the bullet came from outside the stadium, the game still went on.
Aron Jones, who lives in Albuquerque, traveled to Las Cruces to see his alma mater take on the Lobos.
Security was visible and out in full force, Jones said, adding, safety was never a question.
"Our first thought was, Aggie versus Lobo gunshot, some fight," Jones said.
The die-hard Aggie fan was among the more than 25,000 people watching the Aggie-Lobo showdown on the field Saturday night.
Around 8:15 p.m., during the third quarter, a group of NMSU students Jones was with received an emergency notification text message on their cell phones, stating someone had been shot.
"There was absolutely no gunshot sound, even if the gunshot had been fired inside which I understand it wasn't, it was so loud in there I doubt you would have even heard it," Jones said.
Before, during and after games, NMSU police patrol both inside and outside the stadium, including nearby tailgate lots.They too did not hear or see anything, police said.
"I've always felt safe at NMSU during the time I was in college there, I felt just as safe then," Jones said.
The game continued as if nothing happened, police said, because within minutes, they knew the bullet came from outside the stadium.
"Based on the trajectory and a couple other things, were able to establish the round had not been fired from inside the stadium and appeared it had been free falling," NMSU Deputy Police Chief Andy Bowen said.
The woman in her mid-50's, who is not being identified, was sitting in the south seating section of Aggie Memorial Stadium and suffered a superficial wound to her leg, Bowen said.
While alarming, Jones said, this incident will not change how he feels at upcoming games.
"If it had been a different situation where it was a fight in the stadium then yeah, I'd probably feel differently, but for what actually happened, it's some random coincidence and I guess whoever shot that bullet, it could have landed anywhere, it just happened to be inside the stadium," Jones said.
As of Sunday, police were still looking for the shooter and trying to determine exactly where the bullet came from.
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