Campus Alert Archive
UNM

Friday Night Stabbing at UNM Bookstore Triggers LoboAlert and Central Avenue Closure

NMstabbingemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

Around 9:00 PM MDT on September 15, 2023, UNMPD investigated a stabbing near the campus bookstore. The victim was found bleeding behind the bookstore, with the altercation reportedly originating across Central Avenue from the Frontier restaurant. A LoboAlert was pushed to the community advising the public to avoid Central Avenue between Yale and Stanford; police activity was cleared just before midnight, though the suspect remained outstanding.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
University of New Mexico
Public R1 · NM
~23,000 studentsLoboAlerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 3 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimUNM Lobo Alert archive (publicnow.com syndication)56 chars
Police Activity at UNM Bookstore. Please avoid the area.
Verbatim text of the initial LoboAlert pushed at 9:36 PM MDT on September 15, 2023
LoboAlerts are typically distributed via SMS, email, and the UNM emergency communication site
The minimalist text reflects UNM's practice of leading with location and avoidance instructions before the incident type is confirmed
UPDATESMS+1h 35m
Verified verbatimUNM Lobo Alert archive (publicnow.com syndication)181 chars
The victim was assaulted with a knife by the UNM Bookstore. The suspect is a male, 5-8 in height, black hair, a blue and black shirt, wearing shorts. Last seen westbound on central.
Verbatim follow-up LoboAlert pushed at 11:11 PM MDT on September 15, 2023, with suspect description
By this point the crime had been reclassified from generic 'police activity' to a knife assault
The Daily Lobo's later transparency reporting noted that the official crime log did not list the incident as an assault
ALL CLEARSMS+2h 15m
Verified verbatimUNM Lobo Alert archive (publicnow.com syndication)188 chars
Police Activity at the UNM Bookstore is cleared. The alleged suspect is a male, 5-8 in height, with short black hair, a blue shirt and long pants. The alleged suspect is still outstanding.
Verbatim final LoboAlert pushed at 11:51 PM MDT on September 15, 2023
Note the slight inconsistency between the 11:11 PM update (shorts) and the 11:51 PM update (long pants), reflecting evolving witness descriptions
Despite the 'cleared' status, the suspect remained outstanding — a distinction UNM communicated to the community
Context

Background

Around 9:00 PM MDT on Friday, September 15, 2023, UNM Police responded to a stabbing call near the UNM Bookstore on Central Avenue. The victim was discovered behind the bookstore with stab wounds, and witnesses reported a 'sizable blood trail' from the scene. UNMPD and Albuquerque Police Department closed westbound Central Avenue between Yale and Stanford as they searched for the suspect. UNM issued a LoboAlert advising the community to avoid the area, followed by a suspect-description update at 11:11 PM MDT and a final alert at 11:51 PM MDT clearing police activity but noting the suspect remained outstanding. The victim was reported in stable condition at UNM Hospital. The Daily Lobo subsequently reported that UNM had been noncompliant with state crime-transparency law because the incident was not categorized as an assault in the daily crime log on September 15.
Analysis

Key Findings

The September 15 LoboAlert is one of several 2023 LoboAlerts UNM issued for off-campus or campus-edge violent crime, before the more severe July 2025 dorm shooting
The Daily Lobo's transparency reporting later raised questions about whether UNM correctly categorized the stabbing in its daily crime log
The campus bookstore sits on the south edge of campus on Central Avenue, a key flight path between campus and the Nob Hill commercial district
Outcome
Police activity was cleared by 11:51 PM MDT but the suspect remained outstanding. The victim was reported in stable condition at UNM Hospital. UNM was later [criticized for noncompliance](https://www.dailylobo.com/article/2023/10/unm-is-noncompliant-with-crime-transparency-law) with state crime-transparency laws after the incident did not appear in the daily crime log under the correct nature.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    UNM PD Investigating Stabbing on UNM Campus (ABQ RAW)
    abqraw.com
  2. News
    Police investigate stabbing near UNM (KOB)
    kob.com
  3. Student Paper
    UNM is noncompliant with crime transparency law (Daily Lobo)
    dailylobo.com
  4. Official
    UNM Emergency Communication (UNM Campus Safety)
    campussafety.unm.edu
Tags
stabbingloboalertnew-mexicopublic-r1central-avenuecrime-log-transparency
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion