Police: Sonic employee shot in the head is in critical condition
Jul. 26—Santa Fe police found an employee of a Sonic Drive-in on Cerrillos Road with a gunshot wound to his head late Thursday night in the restaurant's parking lot.
The 20-year-old man remained in critical condition Friday, police said.
Deputy Chief Ben Valdez said no suspects had been arrested or charged in connection with the shooting. He did not identify the victim.
Officers responded to a call around 11 p.m. Thursday and found the young man bleeding from a head wound in the parking lot of the Sonic at 2861 Cerrillos Road, near the intersection with Clark Road, Valdez said. The man, who was breathing but unresponsive, was taken to a hospital in Albuquerque, he added.
Police believe a man driving a silver car and two female passengers were involved in the shooting, based on statements from a witness, Valdez said.
Officers seized a silver Hyundai sedan near Ash and Cypress streets — in the Cottonwood Mobile Home Village on the city's south side — but no suspects were taken into custody, he said.
City crime scene technicians were still processing the scene Friday morning.
Santa Fe police Lt. Jimmie Montoya said Friday afternoon detectives were following two leads generated by publicity of the shooting earlier in the day. He confirmed the young man was still alive.
The Sonic Drive-in was closed Friday afternoon, and the parking lot was empty. Two orange traffic cones sat in a parking space on the north end of the lot, and above them one of the lights on the restaurant's overhang appeared to be broken and hanging off the structure.
A Sonic spokeswoman wrote in an email the company was aware of the incident and that "the franchisee is cooperating fully with the police in their investigation." She declined to comment further on the incident or answer a question about whether the employee was at the restaurant alone when the incident occurred.
Police encourage anyone with more information about the shooting to call the Santa Fe Police Department at 505-428-3710 or to contact Detective Jairo De Paz at 505-955-5297 or jndepaz@santafenm.gov.
