Doña Ana County Sheriff’s investigators have identified the 17-year-old who was shot and killed at a birthday party on July 27 in Rodey as Fernando Morales of Hatch.
According to court documents, Morales tried to intervene in an argument between a guest of the party and Efren Rey, 27, who showed up to the event uninvited.
Rey reportedly pulled out a handgun and fired one round into the air before fatally shooting Morales in the face.
Witnesses say Rey fled the scene in what was described as a white, four-door GMC truck. The truck was recovered Sunday in Hatch by the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, but Rey remains at large.
A warrant has been issued for Rey’s arrest. He is charged with an open count of murder. He is described as six feet tall, with brown hair and brown eyes, and weighing approximately 200 pounds.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office at (575) 525-1911 or the Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority at (575) 526-0795.