Amarillo Shooting Kills Teens Ezekiel Almazan, 16-Year-Old After Party Clash

AMARILLO, Texas — Gunfire erupted at the Westminster Apartments on Coulter Street near Interstate 40 around 1:58 a.m. Saturday, killing 17-year-old Ezekiel Rudy Almazan and an unidentified 16-year-old male while injuring 10 others, Amarillo police reported. One male was pronounced dead at the scene; nine victims were hospitalized, five in critical condition, with a second dying later. The chaos stemmed from a gathering of juveniles and young adults that shifted from another location to the complex, where several ousted attendees trailed the group, tried to force entry into an apartment and opened fire with a rifle-style weapon.

Investigators recovered a Glock 9mm handgun on a landing outside Apartment 244 and multiple cartridge casings in a nearby alley, indicating several guns were used, though none tied directly to suspects. Police identified two suspects with ties to the location and known to at least one party occupant, but their ages, identities and motive remain unclear; no arrests have been made. Officers urged Belmar neighborhood residents to review doorbell and surveillance footage from early morning hours to aid the probe. The apartment complex sits in a busy corridor off I-40, a main artery through this oil-patch city of 200,000 in the Texas Panhandle.

This mass shooting hits Amarillo less than six weeks after a violent spree on March 22 killed six and injured 10 across four incidents, amplifying fears of rising gun violence among youth in the high-plains hub. The Police Department continues its investigation, promising updates as details emerge.