MILAN, N.M. – Milan Police are continuing to investigate a weekend stabbing that left an adult and a juvenile injured, and say the roles of the people involved are still being sorted out.
According to an initial statement from the Village of Milan, officers were called to a convenience store in Milan in the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 7, for a report of a fight that had already ended. When officers arrived, they found signs that a physical altercation had taken place.
A short time later, an adult and a juvenile arrived at the hospital with stab wounds.
Early information from the department pointed to one adult as a possible suspect in the case. However, in a follow- up call with the Cibola Citizen on Tuesday, Dec. 9, Police Chief Carl Ustupski said new details have come to light.
Because of the evolving nature of the case and the involvement of a juvenile, the Citizen is not naming any of the individuals at this time.
Ustupski said detectives are still interviewing those involved and reviewing evidence to determine how the confrontation began, what led to the stabbing, and what criminal charges—if any—may result.
“As of right now, this incident remains under active investigation,” Ustupski said.
Crime Statistics and Proactive Policing
Milan Police Chief Ustupski said some categories of Milan’s crimerelated statistics are up this year, including arrests, narcotics violations and traffic-related incidents, but attributed much of that increase to more proactive work by officers.
“Certain statistical areas that relate to crime are up, such as arrests, narcotics violations, traffic related incidents, etc. A lot of this is contributed to proactive policing and the officers getting out there and working hard to find and combat these issues,” he said.
“We have all the same criminal acts and activities of major cities, but obviously just not as frequent,” Ustupski added. “Even with a small Village, officers can not be everywhere at all times.”
He said the department relies on statistics to identify problem areas and place limited resources where they are most needed, similar to how Milan has used data from speed cameras to track when and where most violations occur.
“We utilize the resources we have and put them in place as best as we can to combat criminal activity,” Ustupski said. “Our officers will continue to be proactive and visible in the community and adjust to the needs of the citizens that arise.”
Community feedback, he added, is a key part of that approach and one of the reasons the department holds its monthly “Donut with the Cop” meetings.
As of press time, Milan Police had not released additional details about the weekend stabbing. The Cibola Citizen will continue to follow this case and provide updates as more information becomes available.