Teen Shot, SWAT Arrests Suspect at Clovis Apartment Shooting

CLOVIS, NM  — A teenager was shot and another was taken into custody after a shooting early Sunday morning at an apartment complex in Clovis.

According to the Clovis Police Department, a 911 call at around 1:28 a.m. on June 8 reported gunfire near 212 Connelly Street. Officers responded to an apartment complex in the 200 block of Rencher Street, where witnesses said a large group of teenagers had gathered in the parking lot before shots were fired. The group scattered when police arrived.

At the scene, officers found blood and several shell casings near a stairwell leading to an apartment. They also noted a bullet had struck a window of another apartment at the complex.

While officers were still investigating, an 18-year-old male showed up at Plains Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his wrist. He told police he had been at the complex when the shooting happened. He was later transferred to a hospital in Texas for further treatment.

Police later identified Thomas Chavez, 18, as the suspected shooter. Investigators believed he was hiding inside the first apartment where evidence was found. 

Officers tried to contact him but received no response. A search warrant was approved, and Clovis Police SWAT was called in.

After attempts to get Chavez to come out voluntarily failed, SWAT officers entered the apartment and took him into custody without incident.

The investigation is ongoing. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Clovis Police at (575) 769-1921.