Neighbors voice concerns over increase of crime near Coors and Iliff intersection

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – There are concerns from neighbors about the Coors and Iliff intersection just south of I-40 on Albuquerque’s westside.

While not everyone wanted to go on camera, the general consensus was crime in this part of town has gotten worse in the last couple of years. 

The latest crime to happen near the intersection of Iliff and Coors was a deadly shooting in the Motel 6 parking lot.

APD says shots were fired just after 11 p.m. Saturday night and the victim was dead by the time they arrived.

“The longer we have lived here the more crime we have seen over the years, we have a lot of transients and homeless people. I’ve seen them doing drugs around here out in the open as well, panhandling, plus the murder and stuff like we saw yesterday,” said Sergio Trujilo. 

Trujilo has lived just off Iliff for more than 30 years, and he says yelling and gunshots have become the norm.

“I’m concerned about my son getting pricked by a needle like we can’t even walk to the gas station anymore without having to deal with something,” Trujilo said. 

Something like a police stand-off at the hotel across the street from his house in September 2022. While the suspect was eventually taken into custody with no injuries, traffic into his neighborhood was blocked off for most of the day. 

“It’s the whole neighborhood, it’s not just the hotels,” said Trujilo.  

Just last month, a gas station in the area was the site of a deadly drive-by shooting, and police are frequently called to respond to trespassing calls.

“I know fences are a big thing, I know the neighbor just fixed theirs, they had someone jump it and was in their yard before too, so a lot of issues,” said Trujilo.  

It’s a concern many neighbors have when all they want is to feel safe in their own home.

“A lot of us do have protection of our own whether it’s a pistol or something of that nature just to make us feel safer at home,” said Trujilo.  

As for Saturday night’s deadly shooting, police have not given any updates about a possible suspect.