College basketball player Mike Peake was the player involved in a shooting on the University of New Mexico campus that left another man dead.
Jeff Goodman, a basketball analyst at Stadium, tweeted, “New Mexico State’s Mike Peake was the player involved in the shooting, source told @Stadium. Peake did not suffer life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital.”
Goodman added: “Still unknown who killed the New Mexico student.”
The specific details of how Peake was involved in the November 19, 2022, shooting are not yet clear. Authorities have not officially confirmed his involvement.
Goodman wrote: “New Mexico State game at New Mexico today has been postponed due to a shooting on campus involving a New Mexico State player, source told @Stadium. More details coming.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Police Confirmed That There Was an Altercation Between the Two Men & Both Sustained Gunshot Wounds
I’m going to reserve judgment as to what happened with Aggie basketball in particular Mike Peake. So many unknowns.
Suffice it to say this reflects rather poorly on coach Heier, his staff, and the team. This also reflects poorly on NMSU athletics.
New Mexico State Police gave out some details in a press release:
On November 19, 2022, the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau was requested to investigate a homicide on the main campus of the University of New Mexico (UNM).
State Police investigators learned that at about 3:00 am there was an altercation between a 19-year-old male and a 21-year-old male. During the altercation, both individuals sustained gunshot wounds. The 19-year-old was pronounced deceased on scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator and the 21-year-old male was transported to an area hospital for treatment. His current condition is not known. The 19-year-old will not be identified until the next of kin has been properly notified.
This investigation is in the very preliminary stages as investigators and crime scene agents work to process the evidence and identify witnesses to learn what lead up to the shooting. NMSP does not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community concerning this incident. The scene and investigation are still active and being led by the New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau with assistance from the New Mexico State Police Crime Scene Team and the University of New Mexico Police Department.
Police Pulled Over the Bus Driving the New Mexico State Men’s Basketball Team Back to Las Cruces, a Local Journalist REported
BREAKING: Tonight’s NMSU Aggies at UNM Lobo basketball game in the Pit is postponed after involvement of an NMSU player in an overnight homicide on UNM’s campus (the player is NOT the deceased) t.co/A2GCj1yoRL via @ABQJournal
ABQ Journal’s Geoff Grammer tweeted, “In case you didn’t see my thread of updates, the NMSU basketball team bus has been pulled over now south of Socorro by NM State police. No confirmation as to why.”
In another tweet, he gave additional details: “The bus driving the New Mexico State men’s basketball team back to Las Cruces has been pulled over south of Socorro on I-25 by NM State police, though there is no confirmation as to why.”
He added:
From various police sources now…
Albuquerque Police Department responded to a request for assistance from UNM PD at 3 a.m. …
One person (19 years old) was shot and killed, pronounced dead at the scene.
One person (21yo) was also shot, taken to hospital
NM State police, who are now assisting in the investigation, say they will not identify the deceased 19-year-old male until next of kin has been notified…
The Journal has confirmed Mike Peake, a junior forward for the NMSU Aggies, who were in town to play the UNM Lobos tonight in the Pit, was the 21-year-old shot and hospitalized…
The game, for those unaware, has been postponed…
While there are two (at least) versions of stories circulating as to what Mike Peake was doing out of the team hotel at that hour, who he was meeting and who was there when the incident occurred, police say few, if any of those details, are likely to be confirmed today…
Neither school will comment/confirm details on the incident, but I will update if/when they do.
No Lobo player was involved in the incident, to make sure those asking know that much. …
Peake Is a Forward From Chicago
Mike Peake said Heiar’s developmental resume was a major reason why he decided to return to NMSU. He mentioned Fred VanVleet quite a bit
According to his university bio, Peake is a forward with the New Mexico State basketball team. He is 6 foot 7 inches tall and a junior. His hometown is Chicago.
His high school was Blue Valley Northwest in Kansas.
“Son of Chrisondra Johnson and Mike Peake…Born March 15,” his bio reads. The bio continues:
2021-22 (Sophomore) | Retained eligibility classification from the previous season due to the COVID-19 pandemic…Immediately became an important part of NM State’s regular rotation in his first season with the program…One of just three Aggies who took part in all 34 of the team’s contests…Made four appearances in the starting lineup…Averaged 4.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 13.5 minutes per game…Posted shooting splits of .515/.375/.652 on the year…Debuted with an 11-minute outing in which he snared a pair of rebounds in a non-conference win over UC Irvine (Nov. 9)…Logged a season-high 28 minutes as part of his first start of the season and finished with eight points and a season-high eight rebounds in a non-conference home win over Northern New Mexico (Dec. 18)…Posted season-highs in both assists (three) and blocked shots (two) in a 27-minute outing against non-confernece foe UT Permian Basin (Dec. 20)…Poured in a season-high 16 points on a 7-of-10 afternoon from the field during a WAC road setback at Utah Valley (Feb. 12)…Followed that up with a 12-point performance (his final double-digit scoring outing of the season) in a home WAC victory over Dixie State (Feb. 16)…Helped NM State capture its fourth WAC regular-season title in the last five seasons…Helped NM State claim the WAC Tournament championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament…Helped NM State win its first NCAA Tournament game since 1993 with a 70-63 first-round win over #21/21 and fifth-seeded UConn (March 17).
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