A 36-year-old Albuquerque man, Juan Maestas, has been ordered held without bail following his arrest in connection with a fatal downtown shooting. The state district judge granted a motion for preventive detention, ruling that Maestas poses an extreme danger to the community that no release conditions could address. He faces several felony charges, including an open count of murder, tampering with evidence, aggravated assault, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The charges stem from a violent multi-day juan maestas albuquerque crime spree in early September that culminated in the death of a 43-year-old man. Investigators linked Maestas to shootings at a gas station on Montgomery Boulevard, near security personnel outside a medical facility, and finally on a downtown street.

Fatal Shooting of Tavis Kimbrough on 2nd Street and Marquette
The case centers on the juan maestas albuquerque murder of Tavis Kimbrough, age 43. Emergency responders found Kimbrough unresponsive with fatal gunshot wounds near 2nd Street and Marquette Avenue Northwest in downtown Albuquerque. Surveillance footage and witness accounts led detectives to identify Maestas as the primary suspect in what is formally listed as the tavis kimbrough shooting 2nd street marquette.
Escalating Violence Across the City
Before the downtown homicide, investigators say Maestas was involved in a shooting following a dispute at a gas station on Montgomery Boulevard. They also linked him to gunfire directed near security personnel outside a local medical facility. According to investigators, the pattern of incidents grew more serious each day before the fatal shooting.

Manhunt Ends Near Central and Unser
The albuquerque police manhunt central avenue unser came to an end thanks to an alert city bus driver. While operating a transit route near Central Avenue and Unser Boulevard, the driver recognized Maestas from police bulletins and discreetly notified emergency dispatchers. Officers moved in, and Maestas fled on foot into a nearby neighborhood.
During the pursuit, officers observed Maestas carrying a firearm. He discarded the weapon shortly before officers used less-lethal rounds to subdue and arrest him. Police recovered the discarded handgun at the scene.
Preventive Detention Hearing and Charges
At the juan maestas preventive detention hearing, prosecutors presented ballistic evidence they say links the recovered handgun to the downtown homicide. They also presented footage from the pursuit and details of Maestas’s prior criminal record. The judge determined that the state met its burden of proof under New Mexico law.
Maestas is now held in the juan maestas bernalillo county metropolitan detention center without bond pending trial. The albuquerque felon possession of firearm charges are among several felony counts he faces, alongside the open count of murder, tampering with evidence, and aggravated assault. Maestas is accused, not convicted, and the case will proceed through the courts.
The juan maestas murder charge downtown albuquerque case remains in the early court stages. A state district judge has ruled that he poses an extreme danger to the community and will remain in custody without bail until his trial.
Reporter at DukeCityWire covering courts, public safety and the stories that start with a police scanner.