Surveillance footage of a fatal shootout involving New Mexico State basketball player Mike Peake has been released.
Peake got into a brawl involving students from in-state rival University of New Mexico when the two schools played
each other in football in October. When New Mexico State traveled to New Mexico for a basketball game that was
scheduled for Nov. 19, Peake was lured into what he believed would be a sexual encounter by a 17-year-old girl and
was ambushed by three men in apparent retaliation for the fight at the football game.
The video shows Peake being attacked by a man with a baseball bat and as he ran away he became embroiled in a
shootout with the assailants. Peake was shot in the leg and sustained injuries that has required multiple surgeries.
In the crossfire, he shot and killed 19-year-old Brandon Travis.
Peake has not been charged with a crime in the incident.
One of the assailants was charged with aggravated battery, tampering with evidence and conspiracy to commit a felony.
The girl who lured Peake was charged with aggravated battery and conspiracy.
Peake’s coaches at New Mexico State have also come under scrutiny in the matter.
An investigative report from KOAT, an ABC affiliate in New Mexico, questioned if head basketball coach Greg Heiar and assistant Dominique Taylor obstructed the police investigation.
“I emphasized to Coach Taylor how important it was to recover the gun and other items that were placed in the trunk,” state police officer David Esquibel said in the report on the incident. “I asked him to let me know if he finds out any information about the Camaro [that Peake was seen approaching to meet three teammates after the incident], the gun or other items and he said he would.”
The gun was eventually found in possession of Taylor, wrapped in a towel, at a hotel in Albuquerque.
Coaches declined to allow police to interview Peake and other teammates without the presence of an attorney.
New Mexico State announced this week that Peake is suspended indefinitely from the basketball team and that the university is hiring a third-party investigator to review the incident.
Heiar was not made available to talk to media until 10 days after the shooting.
He expressed his condolences for Travis and his family and said he took full responsibility for the actions of multiple players who sneaked out of the hotel on that morning of the game.
But until Monday, NMSU officials had not spoken publicly about any specific discipline for Peake related to the shooting.
“If there is criticism over this decision, I am in a position to take it on myself,” NMSU athletics director Mario Moccia said. “I’ve known this player for years, and I know what kind of person he is. I didn’t feel a need to rush to judgment. I wanted to give the investigation time to play out before making any decisions.”
Peake, a 6-foot-7 junior from Chicago, played one season at Georgia before transferring to Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. He joined New Mexico State in 2021 and averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds last season, helping the Aggies reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
that's a child dude
