Las Cruces [US], March 23 (HBTV): Three people were killed and 15 injured in a shooting at a park in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Friday night (local time), CNN reported, citing local police.

Two 19-year-olds and one 16-year-old were killed in the shooting, which occurred around 10 pm (local time), according to a Facebook post from Las Cruces Police. The victims' identities remain unknown.

The injured range in age from 16 to 36 years old, police said. No arrests have been made yet, but police are ‘actively following multiple leads,’ according to the post.

An altercation between two groups at an ‘unsanctioned car show’ in Young Park escalated into gunfire, Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story said at a Saturday news conference.

He added that police had collected handgun-caliber casings from the scene. Story also updated the number of injured to 15, revising the initial count of 14 from the Facebook post.

Seven of the injured have been sent from local hospitals to El Paso for further treatment, while four have been treated and released, Las Cruces Fire Chief Michael Daniels said at the news conference. The status of the remaining four patients is unknown, he added.

‘This is a sad day for our community,’ Las Cruces Mayor Eric Enriquez said. ‘I want to ask the community to gather together, to stand strong and united as we try to heal and face this tragic event that took place in our city.’

In a Saturday Instagram post, Las Cruces City Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem Johana Bencomo described the shooting as ‘a heinous act of violence that will leave our city mourning.’

‘My heart is broken for the victims and families impacted,’ she wrote.

Las Cruces is located on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, around 41 miles north of the US-Mexico border.

(ANI)