Rio Rancho police are searching for suspects in a house party shooting involving teens

RIO RANCHO, NM – Rio Rancho police are still searching for the person who opened fire in a quiet neighborhood over the weekend.

This shooting means you may see extra security at one of the biggest high school football games of the season later this week.

Officers responded to shots fired in the 5500 block of Dona Ana Loop NE around 11:15 p.m. Saturday, Rio Rancho police said.

RRPD officials add that at least one person fired a rifle pistol into the air and the shooting was in response to an argument over the appearance of uninvited guests at the party.

A Rio Rancho police spokesman said it was a house party with teenagers, but it was still unclear whether it was a teenager who fired the gun.

We spoke to the homeowner where the party was held and she said it was her daughter's 17th birthday that was invaded by a group of teenagers and said her daughter tried to kick out the unwanted guests as a teenager drove past her house and fired the gun in the air.

Neighbors in the area shared what that night was like for them, but said they did not want to appear on camera or be identified.

“I thought this wasn’t normal,” said a neighbor. “This isn’t a party. I knew they were having a huge party in that house because you could see the cars in front of you and the kids having fun. I mean, it was a Halloween party, and that was to be expected, the noise, but the gunfire, no. I was worried about my dogs being in my bedroom and the bullets coming through the ceiling, which is scary, so we called the police.”

RRPD says no one has been arrested, no injuries have been reported and officers are still investigating the incident, but it was difficult because rumors were circulating on social media.

One is that the dispute stemmed from ongoing problems between students at Rio Rancho and Cleveland High School; The schools will compete in a football game this Friday.

So we reached out to the Rio Rancho School District about filming and plans for the upcoming game. A spokesperson for the school district sent us the following statement:

“Rio Rancho Public Schools has a very dedicated security team that is committed to ensuring the safety of everyone on our campus and facilities at both school and extracurricular events. We will have Rio Rancho police officers and RRPS security personnel at Friday's RRHS vs. CHS football game to monitor behavior and respond to any issues. The investigation into last night's incident is ongoing, but at this point we have no reason to believe it was caused by inter-school rivalries. However, we understand that situations such as these may cause a heightened sense of fear and anxiety among our students, staff and parents. We want to reassure our community that the RRPS Security Department will take all appropriate measures to ensure the safety of individuals at all county facilities while in use.”

Rio Rancho Police are still asking the public for any information or video regarding this incident.

MORE: