NMSU coach told cop fears of shooting retaliation

New Mexico State manager Greg Heiar said helium feared imaginable retaliation successful the aftermath of a fatal shooting that progressive 1 of his players, according to New Mexico State Police assemblage camera footage released to ESPN connected Friday.

Heiar spoke with New Mexico State Police serviceman David Esquibel hours aft Aggies inferior guardant Mike Peake changeable and killed Brandon Travis, a University of New Mexico student, connected Nov. 19 astatine a dorm connected the UNM field successful what authorities constabulary person called a self-defense incident. Heiar told Esquibel that helium was acrophobic for the information of his household and his players but promised the officer, "If I perceive anything, I volition telephone close away."

The New Mexico State-New Mexico crippled acceptable for that time was canceled aft the shooting, arsenic was a Dec. 3 matchup connected the Aggies' campus.

Peake was besides changeable successful the incident. State constabulary person said helium was acceptable up by a 17-year-old miss and her friends who had been successful a combat with Peake astatine a shot crippled betwixt the schools.

Heiar did not reply telephone calls from authorities constabulary aft the interview. He loaded his squad onto a autobus aft the crippled was canceled arsenic authorities constabulary pursued imaginable grounds and interviews with 3 New Mexico State players who were seen with Peake aft the shooting, according to a authorities constabulary probe report.

"I mean, [Peake] is going to person a agelong roadworthy up of him nary substance what," Heiar told Esquibel. "He whitethorn ne'er play a 2nd of hoops for maine ever again. That's conscionable the reality, truthful I request to support the remainder of my squad and the remainder of my radical portion you guys are doing the investigation."

Heiar added: "I'm disquieted astir my woman and girl conscionable being astatine the game. A pupil changeable ... radical say, a New Mexico State hoops subordinate changeable a student. That's not going to spell implicit good successful beforehand of 15,000 people. This is astir the information of everybody. That's wherever I'm at."

Esquibel validated Heiar's worries.

"That's our biggest interest is the information of everybody other close now," Esquibel said. "We don't privation thing to escalate. We don't privation immoderate retaliation. We don't privation anyone [else] to beryllium changeable oregon killed."

Esquibel told Heiar that 3 of his players -- Marchelus Avery, Issa Muhammad and Anthony Roy -- were seen connected video picking up Peake successful a yellowish Camaro aft the shooting. Peake placed aggregate items successful the trunk of the vehicle, according to authorities police.

Heiar told Esquibel that each subordinate of his squad rode the autobus to Albuquerque. He said helium could not place the pistillate who was driving the car erstwhile Esquibel showed him her name.

After Heiar could not beryllium reached, authorities constabulary stopped the Aggies' autobus astatine a remainder stop. Inside, Lorenzo Jenkins, who serves arsenic a peculiar adjunct to Heiar, had Peake's tablet successful a backpack. An unnamed New Mexico State head had his phone, authorities constabulary said. The weapon utilized successful the shooting was located astatine the squad edifice successful Albuquerque, wherever adjunct manager Dominique Taylor had it wrapped successful a towel aft Heiar called him and told him that Avery, Muhammad and Roy could archer him wherever to find the weapon.

It's unclear however and wherever the items were transported aft the shooting.

The Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that it is moving with authorities constabulary to analyse the "conduct" of the New Mexico State coaches, unit and players.

Avery, Muhammad and Roy were each suspended for New Mexico State's crippled astatine Santa Clara connected Wednesday. Peake has been suspended indefinitely pending the result of abstracted assemblage and authorities constabulary investigations.

No players oregon coaches person been charged successful transportation with the fatal shooting. A New Mexico State spokesperson said the schoolhouse had not disciplined immoderate coaches "at this time."

In a abstracted interrogation with Esquibel, Taylor said Peake's begetter had been murdered erstwhile helium was young and that helium didn't person galore household members to consult. Taylor said the speech with Peake's guardians "was a pugnacious telephone call." Heiar had asked Esquibel what helium had to bash to assistance Peake get ineligible counsel.

Before helium gathered his squad and near town, Heiar said helium was perplexed by the full situation.

"I'm conscionable shaking. I'm conscionable sick to my stomach," Heiar told the constabulary officer.