Campus Alert Archive
UNM

Basketball Rivalry Ambush Turns Fatal Hours Before UNM-NMSU Tipoff

NMshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

In the early morning hours of November 19, 2022, a planned ambush linked to an earlier football game brawl between UNM and NMSU students ended in a fatal shootout on UNM's campus. UNM student Brandon Travis, 19, was killed and NMSU basketball player Mike Peake, 21, was wounded after Travis and two accomplices lured Peake to the campus with help from a 17-year-old female student. The scheduled rivalry basketball game was postponed.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
1
Institution
University of New Mexico
Public R1 · NM
~25,000 studentsLoboAlerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction116 chars
LoboAlert: Shooting reported at UNM student housing, 301 Girard NE. Avoid the area. UNM Police and APD are on scene.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from multiple news sources describing the LoboAlert notification
UNMPD and APD responded to the shooting at approximately 3:00 AM MST on November 19, 2022
The shooting occurred at student housing near 301 Girard NE on UNM's main campus
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction188 chars
LoboAlert UPDATE: One person is deceased and one person has been transported to the hospital following the shooting at 301 Girard NE. Investigation is ongoing. No ongoing threat to campus.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from the NMSP press release issued on November 19, 2022
New Mexico State Police took over the investigation from UNMPD
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction336 chars
UNM community, this morning a shooting occurred at a UNM student housing area. One person is deceased and one person was transported to the hospital. New Mexico State Police are investigating. There is no ongoing threat to campus. The scheduled basketball game between UNM and NMSU has been postponed. Counseling services are available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from UNM President Garnett Stokes' campus message and multiple news reports
The Rio Grande Rivalry basketball game, scheduled for 5:00 PM at The Pit, was postponed
UNM campus remained open but with increased security presence
Context

Background

On November 19, 2022, a pre-planned ambush on UNM's campus resulted in the death of 19-year-old UNM student Brandon Travis and the wounding of 21-year-old NMSU basketball player Mike Peake. The attack was rooted in a brawl that had occurred at the October 15 UNM-NMSU football game in Las Cruces. Travis, along with accomplices Jonathan Smith and Eli'Sha Upshaw, used a 17-year-old female UNM student to lure Peake to campus in the early morning hours, just before the scheduled basketball tipoff between the two rival schools. When Peake arrived, Travis pointed a gun in his face while Upshaw struck him with a baseball bat. Travis shot Peake in the leg, but Peake, who was also armed, returned fire and killed Travis in what authorities later determined was self-defense. The New Mexico State Police took over the investigation, and the rivalry basketball game was postponed indefinitely. The incident exposed deep tensions surrounding the I-25 rivalry between UNM and NMSU and prompted both universities to review security protocols for rivalry events.
Analysis

Key Findings

The shooting was a pre-planned ambush stemming from a football game brawl weeks earlier, highlighting how inter-campus rivalries can escalate to lethal violence
The district attorney determined Peake acted in self-defense, declining to file charges against the NMSU basketball player
The incident forced the postponement of the rivalry basketball game and prompted security reviews at both universities
Outcome
Brandon Travis was pronounced dead at the scene. Mike Peake was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the leg but survived. The district attorney determined Peake acted in self-defense and declined to file charges against him. Jonathan Smith pleaded into supervised probation for three years and a conditional discharge. Eli'Sha Upshaw pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery and was also given supervised probation and a conditional discharge (which under New Mexico law is not considered a conviction). Upshaw violated probation shortly after his discharge in 2024 and faced jail time. Travis's family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against NMSU, its coaches, and athletic director in 2024 alleging the program fostered a 'violent locker room culture.'
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    1 person killed and 1 injured in shooting on University of New Mexico campus (CNN)
    cnn.com
  2. Official
    NMSP Investigating Homicide on UNM Campus (NM Department of Public Safety)
    dps.nm.gov
  3. News
    Pre-dawn shooting at University of New Mexico kills 1 (Washington Post)
    washingtonpost.com
  4. News
    District attorney: Peake will not be charged in UNM shooting (KTSM)
    ktsm.com
  5. News
    Student to police: Fight at NMSU was precursor to deadly UNM shooting (KFOX)
    kfoxtv.com
Tags
shootingrivalry-violencestudent-killedbasketballnew-mexicopublic-r1self-defenseambush
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion