Rifle believed to be used in homicide recovered

An assault‑style rifle believed to used in the November shooting death of 22‑year‑old Quentin Sisneros was recovered in early January after a child found the weapon discarded near a residence on Rocky Road, according to police.

Socorro officers were dispatched Jan. 2 to 1020 Rocky Road after a reporting party said a child had located the firearm about a week earlier, but was initially too afraid to tell an adult. When officers arrived, they found the rifle wrapped in a plastic bag with ammunition still in the magazine and one round in the chamber, the police report states.

Officers recognized the weapon as matching the description of the gun used in the Nov. 19 shooting near the intersection of College and Leroy, where Sisneros was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a parking lot adjacent to New Mexico Tech. He later died at the hospital.

In a Feb. 15 interview, Socorro Police Chief Angel Garcia said the firearm was discovered on or near a homeowner’s property in the Western Hills area, south of the college district.

“We got called on somebody locating the gun by the residence or on the residence property,” Garcia said. “We preserved it and handed it over to State Police.”

Garcia said the location was not along the route toward Magdalena, where the suspect was later found, but instead south of campus.

After securing the rifle, officers notified New Mexico State Police, who have taken over the evidence and continue to lead the homicide investigation.

According to an affidavit filed in Socorro County Magistrate Court, witnesses told investigators the shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity. Sisneros, who worked for Chartwells dining services at New Mexico Tech, had been dropped off to pick up his vehicle after his shift when he encountered the gunfire.

Witnesses reported that Anthony “Anton” Alvarado, 21, exited a vehicle with a rifle and pointed it at a teenager before firing multiple rounds at a black sedan similar to one driven by the teen’s cousin. Sisneros, who was driving a similar sedan, was struck by the gunfire.

The affidavit states Alvarado had been upset over a personal dispute and was reportedly using large amounts of fentanyl at the time.

Alvarado was arrested Nov. 21 after New Mexico State Police tactical officers surrounded a residence in Magdalena. Following an approximately 90‑minute standoff, he surrendered without further incident. He is charged with an open count of murder, shooting at a motor vehicle, child abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker said at the time of the shooting the city had not seen violence of this kind in nearly a decade.

“There’s no place for something like this going on in Socorro,” Bhasker said. “I feel really bad for the family of Mr. Sisneros.”

New Mexico Tech Interim President Michael Jackson described Sisneros as a valued member of the campus community who “helped make NMT a special place to be.”

The recovery of the rifle closes a key gap in the investigation., Garcia said. The firearm was logged into evidence at the Socorro Police Department before being transferred to state investigators.

No additional details about the ongoing case have been released.