APD Arrests One, Seeks Another in Deadly Downtown Albuquerque Shooting

Albuquerque –

Detectives from the Albuquerque Police Department arrested Josiah Watts (AKA Josiah Whatts) and Xavrein Trotter Jr. (AKA Xavrein Lamar Trotter and Xavreign Trotter), for the fatal shooting that occurred this weekend in Downtown.

Watts, 19, is accused of fatally shooting Enock Elumba. Elumba, 21, was shot at least three times and died as a result of his wounds. Trotter Jr, 18, was with Watts at the time of the shooting and instigated the confrontation that led to the shooting.

Police say surveillance video showed Watts and Trotter walking with a group along 6th St. just north of Central Ave. around 1 AM on Sunday, June 14, 2026. Watts and Trotter had been talking about Elumba earlier in the evening, and Trotter spotted Elumba on the opposite side of the street in front of a food truck.

Trotter yelled disparaging remarks toward Elumba and Watts crossed the street, also yelling at Elumba. Video appeared to show Watts strike Elumba and then shoot several times toward him. 

Watts ran from the scene of the shooting and met up with Trotter and others at a nearby parking lot, where they jumped into a car and fled. An APD officer who was driving to the scene saw the car driving away with its lights off and the driver’s door still open. The officer saw a young female driving and others inside the car.

Homicide detectives used automated license plate readers (ALPR) to help identify the vehicle and track it to a residence in the South Valley. Detectives served a search warrant and eventually identified Watts as the shooter. 

On Sunday, detectives secured an arrest warrant for Watts. While searching for Watts, detectives connected Watts and Trotter to a separate shooting incident in Northeast Albuquerque. Investigators determined that Trotter was on probation and used GPS data from his ankle monitor to trace his movements from the Downtown shooting scene to the scene in heights.

Detectives with APD’s Investigative Support Unit arrested Trotter. Trotter was booked into MDC on June 17th at 9:41 PM. He was charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and tampering with evidence. This is the first charge for Trotter Jr.

According to court records as of this publication, Watts has an active warrant for his arrest. When taken into custody, he is expected to be booked into the Metro Detention Center on charges of an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence.